Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Statins reduce cancer growth in canine mammary tumor cells
By Vigneau, Anne-Laurence et al.·Published in Veterinary and comparative oncology·2022·Dé, Canada·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Statins downregulate YAP and TAZ and exert anti-cancer effects in canine mammary tumour cells.
- Species:
- dog
Plain-English summary
A study found that two types of cholesterol-lowering medications, Atorvastatin and Fluvastatin, can be effective against canine mammary tumors, which are common in unspayed female dogs. These medications worked by triggering cancer cell death and stopping the cells from growing and spreading. They also reduced the activity of certain proteins linked to tumor growth. While these statins showed promise in preventing tumor cell migration, they did not affect the ability of the cells to invade surrounding tissues. This research suggests that statins could be a new treatment option for dogs with mammary tumors.
People also search for: dog mammary tumor treatment · Atorvastatin for dogs · Fluvastatin cancer in dogs
Abstract
Canine mammary tumours (CMTs) are the most common neoplasms in intact bitches, and few chemotherapeutic options are available for highly invasive and metastatic tumours. Recent studies have shown the potential involvement of dysregulated Hippo signalling in CMT development and progression. Statins can activate the Hippo pathway by blocking protein geranylgeranylation (GGylation), resulting in decreased expression and activity of the transcriptional co-activators YAP and TAZ. In this study, we therefore sought to determine if statins could exert anti-cancer effects in CMT cells. Our results demonstrate that Atorvastatin and Fluvastatin are cytotoxic to two CMT cell lines (CMT9 and CMT47), with ED50 values ranging from 0.95 to 23.5 μM. Both statins acted to increase apoptosis and promote cell cycle arrest. Both statins also decreased YAP and TAZ expression and reduced the mRNA levels of key Hippo transcriptional target genes known to be involved in breast cancer progression and chemoresistance (CYR61, CTGF and RHAMM). Moreover, both statins effectively inhibited cell migration and anchorage independent growth, but did not influence matrix invasion. Taken together, our results demonstrate for the first time that statins act upon the Hippo pathway in CMT cells to counteract several molecular and cellular hallmarks of cancer. These findings suggest that targeting the Hippo pathway with statins represents a novel and promising approach for the treatment canine mammary gland cancers.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34881506/