Glyceollin I Reverses Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition in Letrozole Resistant Breast Cancer through ZEB1.

Although aromatase inhibitors are standard endocrine therapy for postmenopausal women with early-stage metastatic estrogen-dependent breast cancer, they are limited by the development of drug resistance. A better understanding of this process is critical towards designing novel strategies for disease management. Previously, we demonstrated a global proteomic signature of letrozole-resistance associated with hormone-independence, enhanced cell motility and implications of epithelial mesenchymal transition (EMT). Letrozole-resistant breast cancer cells (LTLT-Ca) were treated with a novel phytoalexin, glyceollin I, and exhibited morphological characteristics synonymous with an epithelial phenotype and decreased proliferation. Letrozole-resistance increased Zinc Finger E-Box Binding Homeobox 1 (ZEB1) expression (4.51-fold), while glyceollin I treatment caused a -3.39-fold reduction. Immunofluorescence analyses resulted of glyceollin I-induced increase and decrease in E-cadherin and ZEB1, respectively. In vivo studies performed in ovariectomized, female nude mice indicated that glyceollin treated tumors stained weakly for ZEB1 and N-cadherin and strongly for E-cadherin. Compared to letrozole-sensitive cells, LTLT-Ca cells displayed enhanced motility, however in the presence of glyceollin I, exhibited a 68% and 83% decrease in invasion and migration, respectively. These effects of glyceollin I were mediated in part by inhibition of ZEB1, thus indicating therapeutic potential of glyceollin I in targeting EMT in letrozole resistant breast cancer.

Sulfapyridine (polymorph III), sulfapyridine dioxane solvate, sulfapyridine tetrahydrofuran solvate and sulfapyridine piperidine solvate, all at 173 K.

The X-ray crystal structures of solvates of sulfapyridine have been determined to be conformational polymorphs. 4-Amino-N-(1,2-dihydropyridin-2-ylidene)benzenesulfonamide (polymorph III), C(11)H(11)N(3)O(2)S, (1), 4-amino-N-(1,2-dihydropyridin-2-ylidene)benzenesulfonamide 1,3-dioxane monosolvate, C(11)H(11)N(3)O(2)S·C(4)H(8)O(2), (2), and 4-amino-N-(1,2-dihydropyridin-2-ylidene)benzenesulfonamide tetrahydrofuran monosolvate, C(11)H(11)N(3)O(2)S·C(4)H(8)O, (3), crystallized as the imide form, while piperidin-1-ium 4-amino-N-(pyridin-2-yl)benzenesulfonamidate, C(5)H(12)N(+)·C(11)H(10)N(3)O(2)S(-), (4), crystallized as the piperidinium salt. The tetrahydrofuran and dioxane solvent molecules in their respective structures were disordered and were refined using a disorder model. Three-dimensional hydrogen-bonding networks exist in all structures between at least one sulfone O atom and the aniline N atom.