Effects of Celecoxib on proliferation and apoptosis of human breast cancer cell line MCF-7

Objective To investigate the effects of selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor Celecoxib on proliferation and apoptosis of breast cancer MCF-7 cells. Methods MTT assay was used to examine the proliferation of MCF-7 cells treated by different concentration of Celecoxib after 24̃96 h. Flow cytometry was performed to analyze the apoptosis and cell cycle of MCF-7 cells. The expression of COX-2 was measured by RT-PCR method and levels of PGE₂ were measured by ELISA method. Results The inhibition of proliferation of MCF-7 cells in vitro by Celecoxib was observerd in time- and dose-dependent manners. Celecoxib effectively down-regulated the expression of COX-2. The cell cycle was arrested at G₀ /G₁, and rate of cells in S phase was obviously decreased. Celecoxib of different concentration could also induce apoptosis, and the apoptosis rate was related to the concentration of Celecoxib. Levels of PGE₂ were inhibited by Celecoxib. Conclusion Celecoxib inhibits proliferation and induces apoptosis of MCF-7 cells. The mechanism may be associated with down-regulation of the expression of COX-2 and inhibition of PGE₂ .