Investigation of the immunological effects of escitalopram oxalate in the breast cancer co-culture model.

Background: During breast cancer treatment, approximately half of the patients are prescribed psychotropic medication, such as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs). Escitalopram oxalate is an SSRI used as an antidepressant.

Objectives: In this study, by creating a breast cancer microenvironment with THP-1, MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 breast cancer co-culture models were created.

Methods: MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, and THP-1 cell lines to determine the concentration range of the cytotoxic effect of escitalopram oxalate MTS and MTT test were used. IC₅₀ values were determined by the xCELLigence real-time cell analysis (RTCA) system. Apoptotic activities and cytokine levels were determined by flow cytometry.

Results: In the xCELLigence real-time analysis made according to the results, the IC₅₀ value of escitalopram oxalate was measured as 13.7 μM for MCF-7 and 10.9 μM for MDA-MB-231. The IC₅₀ value was measured as 54.6 μM for MCF-7 and 58.4 μM for MDA-MB-231 in xCELLigence analysis with tamoxifen. According to the MTS test results, the IC₅₀ value of tamoxifen for THP-1 was 92.03 μM and the IC₅₀ value for escitalopram oxalate was 95.32 μM. In the co-culture model, the immunological effects of escitalopram oxalate on MCF-7 cells were 2.8%, 11.1%, 15.6%, 10.6%, and 12.1% for interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, and TNF-α, respectively, while MDA effects on MB-231 cells, respectively, were 2.1%, 15.9%, 16.2%, 8.8%, and 11.8%.

Conclusions: According to the results obtained, it was concluded that the immunological effects of escitalopram oxalate are more effective than tamoxifen and that it can be used as an adjunctive agent in breast cancer treatment.