Fig. 2. FR054 treatment leads to cell growth arrest and apoptosis of several breast cancer cells characterized by a diverse genetic background.

a Viability of breast cancer cells and hTERT-RPE-1 upon 48 h treatment with different doses of FR054. b Colony formation of MDA-MB-231 cell treated with vehicle (medium) and two different doses of FR054 (0.5 and 1 mM) for 48 h. Representative images of the plates are shown (upper part of the panel). c Cell death evaluation by using FACS analysis of Annexin V-FITC (Ann V) and propidium iodide staining in MDA-MB-231 cells treated with 1 mM FR054 for 48 h. Quantification of Ann V positive cells is reported in the histogram. d Western blot analysis of PARP cleavage and Caspase3 activation in MDA-MB-231 cells treated for 48 h with 1 mM FR054. All data represent the average ± s.d.; *p < 0.05, **p < 0.01 (Student’s t-test; comparison with FR054-not-treated sample); N = 3