Electrical stimulation effects on cell cycle and autophagy markers in MCF7 and MDA-MB-468 breast cancer cells

Breast cancer is a major health problem commonly seen in women. Despite considerable advancements in cancer research, cancer incidence continues to increase and cancer remains the second cause of death globally. It is crucial to further improve current cancer therapies and investigate novel treatments. This study evaluates the effects of electrical pulse stimulation (EPS) on breast cancer cells. This is based on previous work on myoblasts, cancerous rhabdomyosarcoma cells, and MCF7 breast cancer cells. EPS of MCF7 and MDA-MB-468 breast cancer cells revealed alterations in cellular signaling that suggest cell cycle arrest by autophagy. An Akt inhibitor was used to identify the role of Akt in the EPS response on breast cancer cells. This adds to a working model of cell cycle arrest by autophagy on cancer cells subject to EPS, and is a promising novel therapy that can be used to induce intrinsic cellular arrest mechanisms in cancer cells.