Fig. 1

Effects of THC on proliferation and cell cycle of breast cancer cells. A Proliferation of MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-453 and 4T1 cells treated with various concentrations (0, 10, 20, 40, 80, 160 μM) of THC for 24, 48 and 72 h, respectively. Cell viability was detected by CCK8 assay. B The effects of THC (0, 20, 40, 80 μM) on colony formation in MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-453 and 4T1 cells for about 12 days, the statistic results of colony formation assays presented as surviving colonies. Data are expressed as means SD from three experiments. C EDU results of MCF-7 and 4T1 cells after treatment with different dose (0, 20, 40, 80 μM) of THC. D H1299 cells were exposed to various concentrations of THC (0, 20, 40, 80 μM) for 48 h followed by analysis of cell cycle by flow cytometry and distribution of MCF-7, 4T1cells at different phases of the cell cycle distribution. E–F The change of p21, CDK4, and CyclinD1 expression. MCF-7 and 4T1cells were treated with different concentrations of THC. After 48 h, cells were harvested, and western blot assay was conducted to test the expression of p21, CDK4, and CyclinD1. β-actin served as loading control. Data were expressed as mean ± SD. *P < 0.05, **P < 0.01, ***P < 0.001 compared to control