MY11 exerts antitumor effects through activation of the NF-κB/PUMA signaling pathway in breast cancer

Breast cancer is the most common malignancy in women worldwide, and the discovery of new effective breast cancer therapies with lower toxicity is still needed. We screened a series of chalcone derivatives and found that MY11 ((E)-1-(2-hydroxy-4,6-dimethoxyphenyl)-3-(4-piperazinylphenyl) prop-2-en-1-one) had the strongest anti-breast cancer activity. MY11 inhibited the growth of MDA-MB-231 and MCF-7 breast cancer cells by arresting the cell cycle and promoting apoptosis, through regulation of the cell cycle and apoptosis-related proteins. PDTC (Pyrrolidinedithiocarbamate ammonium), a specific inhibitor of the NF-κB pathway, abolished the inhibitory effect of MY11 treatment. NF-κB has been shown to regulate PUMA-dependent apoptosis. Our in vitro studies demonstrated that MY11 promoted breast cancer cell apoptosis by activating the NF-κB/PUMA/mitochondrial apoptosis pathway (including Bcl-2, Bax, and Caspase-9). MY11 also inhibited tumor growth in an orthotopic breast cancer mouse model by inducing apoptosis through the NF-κB signaling pathway, importantly, with minimal toxicity. In addition, MY11 was found by docking analysis to bind to p65, which might enhance the stability of the p65 protein. Taken together, our findings indicate that MY11 exerts a significant anticancer effect in breast cancer and that it may be a potential candidate for the treatment of breast cancer. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10637-022-01272-0.