The invasive potential of malignant tumor cells is critical for their metastasis. This study was undertaken to evaluate the anti-invasive activity of ${\beta}$-myrcene, a natural compound found in the essential oil from Pinus koraiensis cones (EOPC), ...
The invasive potential of malignant tumor cells is critical for their metastasis. This study was undertaken to evaluate the anti-invasive activity of ${\beta}$-myrcene, a natural compound found in the essential oil from Pinus koraiensis cones (EOPC), in metastatic MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells. Among four major constituents that included ${\alpha}$-pinene, ${\beta}$-myrcene, 3-carene, and d-limonene, ${\beta}$-myrcene showed the most potent inhibition of tumor necrosis factor-${\alpha}$ ($TNF{\alpha}$)-induced nuclear factor ${\kappa}B$ (NF-${\kappa}B$) activity. Pretreatment with ${\beta}$-myrcene suppressed $TNF{\alpha}$-induced phosphorylation of inhibitor of ${\kappa}B$ kinase and NF-${\kappa}B$ as well as matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) gene expression in a dose-dependent fashion. Furthermore, ${\beta}$-myrcene inhibited $TNF{\alpha}$-induced invasion of MDA-MB-231 cells as determined by three-dimensional spheroid invasion assays. These findings suggest that EOPC may promote anti-metastatic activity in breast cancer cells through its downregulation of NF-${\kappa}B$-mediated MMP-9 expression.