Abstract
Background: Breast cancer is the foremost common type of cancer worldwide and the leading cause of death related to cancer. Poliovirus receptor (CD155) or nectin-like molecule-5 expression has been shown to increase in tumor cells and bind to the DNAX accessory molecule (DNAM-1)/T cell immunoreceptor with Ig and ITIM domains (TIGIT)/CD69 ligand present on the surface of T and natural killer cells, increasing inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin 6 (IL-6) in the tumor microenvironment. As a result, we intended to simultaneously target both CD155 and IL-6 as an effective therapeutic approach to prevent breast cancer growth.
Methods: In this study, 4T1 cells were transfected with small interfering RNA (siRNA) molecules against CD155 and IL-6, using lipofectamine (LP). Target gene expression was analyzed using both the real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay also examined the cytotoxic effect of combined therapy.
Results: The results showed that the cells were effectively transfected with LP, resulting in the downregulation of IL-6 and CD155. In addition, the combined silencing of IL-6 and CD155 potently reduced the cellular viability of cancer cells.
Conclusion: These findings revealed that the simultaneous targeting of CD155 and IL-6 in breast cancer cells (4T1) is an innovative and efficient therapy strategy to induce apoptosis in malignant cells.