Stemness targeting of colorectal cell lines mediated by BAMLET and 5-Flourouracil.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Stemness is the potential for self-renewal and repopulation causing the relapse, progression, and drug resistance of colorectal cancer. We investigated the effects of bovine alpha-lactalbumin made lethal to tumor cells and 5-Flourouracil consisting of bovine α-lactalbumin protein and oleic acid, on colorectal cancer cells on stemness. METHODS: The quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction assessed the expression levels of stemness-related genes (c-myc, Lgr5, OCT4). Expression of stemness-related surface markers (CD44 and CD24) was also measured by the flow cytometry technique following the treatments. RESULTS: Our results indicated decreased expression levels of C-Myc, Lgr5, oct4 as the stemness-related genes (P < 0.0001), and reduced population of CD44+ as the stemness-related cell surface marker upon treatment with BAMLET and 5-Flourouracil. BAMLET inhibited the stemness more effectively than 5-Flourouracil (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSION: Based on the result, inhibition of the Stemness related-genes (C-Myc, Lgr5, Oct4) and the surface markers (CD 24+ and CD44+) is a promising therapeutic approach using BAMLET.