Diphenyl disulfide potentiates the apoptosis of breast cancer cells through Bax proteolytic activation with accompanying autophagy.

Breast cancer is a leading cause of cancer-related death worldwide, and chemoresistance often leads to poor patient outcomes. In this study, we investigated the anticancer activity of synthetic diphenyl disulfide (DPDS) in breast cancer cell lines. DPDS inhibited cellular proliferation and viability in a dose-dependent manner and reduced colony formation, an index of clonogenicity. Annexin-V and 7-AAD double staining showed that DPDS could induce the apoptosis of breast cancer cells. Western blotting of the expression of Bax p21 and its cleaved form p18 suggested the activation of p18 Bax-induced apoptosis. Furthermore, the increased expression of the autophagy marker LC3B-II indicated autophagic lysosome accumulation induced by DPDS. Our findings suggest that DPDS has potential as a candidate for treating breast cancer, and further modifications and optimizations are warranted.