Co-formulation of ursolic acid and selenium nanoparticles modulates the mRNA expression of MMP-2, MMP-9 and ICAM-1 in triple-negative breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231

Azimi, Farnaz; Shamsnia, Hedieh Sadat; Shahverdi, Ahmad Reza; Sanaei, Marzieh; Yazdi, Mohammad Hossein

doi:10.22038/ajp.2026.28132

Co-formulation of ursolic acid and selenium nanoparticles modulates the mRNA expression of MMP-2, MMP-9 and ICAM-1 in triple-negative breast cancer cells MDA-MB-231

Articles in Press

Document Type : Original Research Article

Authors

Farnaz Azimi

Hedieh Sadat Shamsnia

Ahmad Reza Shahverdi

marzieh Sanaei

Mohammad Hossein Yazdi

Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Biotechnology Research Center, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.

10.22038/ajp.2026.28132

Abstract

Objective: Metastasis drives cancer mortality. Triple negative breast cancer (TNBC) is highly invasive and often resistant to therapy. Ursolic acid combined with selenium nanoparticles may reduce proliferation and enhance treatment efficacy while minimizing toxicity in MDA MB 231 cells.
Materials and methods: The cytotoxicity of ursolic acid and selenium nanoparticles on MDA MB 231 cells was assessed via MTT assay. Effects on ICAM 1, MMP 2, and MMP 9 expression were measured by real-time PCR, and cell migration was evaluated using the scratch assay.
Results: A combination of selenium nano particles (SeNPs) (150 μg/mL) and ursolic acid (20 μg/mL) showed greater cell inhibition compared to each substance alone. This co-formulation not only decreased the viability of cancer cells but also exhibited additive effects on reducing the migration and metastasis of MDA-MB-231 cells by effectively downregulating MMP-9, MMP-2, and ICAM-1 expression.
Conclusion: These findings support further animal studies to validate the therapeutic potential for TNBC.

Keywords

Natural compounds

Ursolic acid

Selenium nanoparticles

Triple-negative breast cancer

Metastasis

Subjects