Anticancer activity of retinoic acid against breast cancer cells derived from an Iraqi patient

OBJECTIVE: Breast cancer is one of the most lethal diseases in women, both worldwide and in Iraq. The high mortality rate is attributed primarily to the chemoresistance to conventional therapeutics. The search for effective and safe treatments is critical. One promising agent that has shown activity against various cancer types is retinoic acid (RA). METHODS: RA was tested against a panel of international breast cancer cell lines and compared with Iraqi patient-derived hormone-independent breast cancer cells through MTT viability assays. Cytopathology was assessed under an inverted microscope, and apoptotic induction was evaluated with acridine orange propidium iodide assays. RESULTS: AMJ13 breast cancer cells were more sensitive to killing induced by RA than MCF-7 and CAL-51 cells. By contrast, normal HBL-100 cells showed a negligible effect. Cytological changes were observed in all cancer cells treated with RA, whereas no changes were observed in normal HBL-100 cells. Iraqi patient-derived breast cancer cells showed a higher percentage of cells undergoing apoptosis after RA treatment than the other breast cancer cells. CONCLUSION: We suggest RA as a possible breast cancer treatment with potential for clinical application with high safety.