Alpha-mangostin induces endoplasmic reticulum stress and autophagy which count against fatty acid synthase inhibition mediated apoptosis in human breast cancer cells

BACKGROUND/AIMS: One of the most important metabolic hallmarks of breast cancer cells is enhanced lipogenesis. Increasing evidences suggest that fatty acid synthase (FAS) plays an important role in human breast cancer. Previously we discovered that alpha-mangostin showed apoptotic effect on human breast cancer cells via inhibiting FAS activity. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress and autophagy are involved in cell apoptosis. However, the role of ER stress and autophagy in FAS inhibition induced apoptosis still remains unclear. METHODS: We evaluated the effects of alpha-mangostin on ER stress and autophagy in human breast cancer cells. Intracellular FAS activity was measured by a spectrophotometer at 340 nm of NADPH absorption. Cell Counting Kit assay was used to test the cell viability. Immunoblot analysis was performed to detect protein expression levels. Apoptotic effects were detected by flow cytometry. RESULTS: Alpha-mangostin induced endoplasmic reticulum stress and autophagy, both of which reduced the apoptotic effect of alpha-mangostin in MDA-MB-231 cells. Palmitic acid, the end product of FAS catalyzed reaction, rescued the ER stress and autophagy induced by alpha-mangostin. Cell apoptosis was markedly promoted by inhibiting ER stress and autophagy while treating cells with alpha-mangostin. CONCLUSION: We propose a hypothesis that a combination of FAS inhibition and ER stress and autophagy inhibition has an application potential in the chemoprevention and treatment of breast cancer. ELECTRONIC SUPPLEMENTARY MATERIAL: The online version of this article (10.1186/s12935-019-0869-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.