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3,3′-Diindolylmethane And Paclitaxel Act Synergistically To Promote Apoptosis In Her2/Neu Human Breast Cancer Cells, Kandace P. Mcguire, N. Ngoubilly, M. Neavyn, Susan Lanza-Jacoby

Department of Surgery Faculty Papers

Background. HER2/neu positive breast tumors are difficult to treat. About 25 to 30% of invasive breast tumors overexpress the HER2/neu oncogene. These tumors are aggressive and become resistant to chemotherapeutic drugs. 3,3′-diindolylmethane (DIM), the active metabolite of indole-3-carbinol, a naturally occurring compound found in cruciferous vegetables, has been found to have anti-cancer properties in both humans and animals. DIM has been shown to induce cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in animal breast cancer models. Because HER2/neu overexpression confers resistance to paclitaxel, and DIM has anti-tumor effects, we hypothesized that DIM will enhance the cytotoxic effects of paclitaxel, a common …