ArticleBMC cancer2013
Equol enhances tamoxifen's anti-tumor activity by induction of caspase-mediated apoptosis in MCF-7 breast cancer cells.
Article in BMC cancer, 2013. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 37 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
37 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 75 citations in OpenAlex.
- A Systematic Review of the Effects of Equol (Soy Metabolite) on Breast Cancer.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Pooled it
- A Narrative Review on Unravelling Bacterial-Mediated Carcinogenesis and Possible Alternative Treatment Strategies.BioMed research international · 2026Review
- Bioactives for Estrogen-Deficient Skin: Topical and Oral Supplement Clinical Studies. A Narrative Review.Dermatology and therapy · 2025Review
- Daidzein and puerarin synergistically suppress gastric cancer proliferation via STAT3/FAK pathway Inhibition.Hereditas · 2025Article
- Equol: a metabolite of gut microbiota with potential antitumor effects.Gut pathogens · 2024Review
- Review on Natural Agents as Aromatase Inhibitors: Management of Breast Cancer.Combinatorial chemistry & high throughput screening · 2024Review
- Tailoring Potential Natural Compounds for the Treatment of Luminal Breast Cancer.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- An Update on Tamoxifen and the Chemo-Preventive Potential of Vitamin E in Breast Cancer Management.Journal of personalized medicine · 2023Review
- Acetone extracts of BerberisTurkish journal of medical sciences · 2023Article
- Gut Microbiota-Assisted Synthesis, Cellular Interactions and Synergistic Perspectives of Equol as a Potent Anticancer Isoflavone.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Natural Small Molecules in Breast Cancer Treatment: Understandings from a Therapeutic Viewpoint.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Bruceine D Identified as a Drug Candidate against Breast Cancer by a Novel Drug Selection Pipeline and Cell Viability Assay.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Herbal Ingredients in the Prevention of Breast Cancer: Comprehensive Review of Potential Molecular Targets and Role of Natural Products.Oxidative medicine and cellular longevity · 2022Review
- Combinatorial treatments of tamoxifen and SM6Met, an extract fromFrontiers in pharmacology · 2022Article
- Daidzein Synergizes with Gefitinib to Induce ROS/JNK/c-Jun Activation and Inhibit EGFR-STAT/AKT/ERK Pathways to enhance Lung Adenocarcinoma cells chemosensitivity.International journal of biological sciences · 2022Article
- Synergistic Activity of Equol and Meropenem against Carbapenem-ResistantAntibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Effect of isoflavones on breast cancer cell development and their impact on breast cancer treatments.Breast cancer research and treatment · 2021Article
- Phytoestrogens for Cancer Prevention and Treatment.Biology · 2020Review
- d-a-Tocopheryl Polyethylene Glycol 1000 Succinate and a small-molecule Survivin suppressant synergistically induce apoptosis in SKBR3 breast cancer cells.Scientific reports · 2019Article
- Ampelopsin E Reduces the Invasiveness of the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Cell Line, MDA-MB-231.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundSoy phytoestrogens, such as daidzein and its metabolite equol, have been proposed to be responsible for the low breast cancer rate in Asian women. Since the majority of estrogen receptor positive breast cancer patients are treated with tamoxifen, the basic objective of this study is to determine whether equol enhances tamoxifen's anti-tumor effect, and to identify the molecular mechanisms involved.
methodsFor this purpose, we examined the individual and combined effects of equol and tamoxifen on the estrogen-dependent MCF-7 breast cancer cells using viability assays, annexin-V/PI staining, cell cycle and western blot analysis.
resultsWe found that equol (>50 μM) and 4-hydroxy-tamoxifen (4-OHT; >100 nM) significantly reduced the MCF-7 cell viability. Furthermore, the combination of equol (100 μM) and 4-OHT (10 μM) induced apoptosis more effectively than each compound alone. Subsequent treatment of MCF-7 cells with the pan-caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-FMK inhibited equol- and 4-OHT-mediated apoptosis, which was accompanied by PARP and α-fodrin cleavage, indicating that apoptosis is mainly caspase-mediated. These compounds also induced a marked reduction in the bcl-2:bax ratio, which was accompanied by caspase-9 and caspase-7 activation and cytochrome-c release to the cytosol. Taken together, these data support the notion that the combination of equol and tamoxifen activates the intrinsic apoptotic pathway more efficiently than each compound alone.
conclusionsConsequently, equol may be used therapeutically in combination treatments and clinical studies to enhance tamoxifen's effect by providing additional protection against estrogen-responsive breast cancers.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.