Breast cancer is the most common cancer that majorly affects female. The present study is focused on exploring the potential anticancer activity of 2-((1, 2, 3, 4-Tetrahydroquinolin-1-yl) (4 methoxyphenyl) methyl) phenol (THMPP), against human breast cancer. The mechanism of action, activation of specific signaling pathways, structural activity relationship and drug-likeness properties of THMPP remains elusive. Cell proliferation and viability assay, caspase enzyme activity, DNA fragmentation and FITC/Annexin V, AO/EtBr staining, RT-PCR, QSAR and ADME analysis were executed to understand the mode of action of the drug. The effect of THMPP on multiple breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and SkBr3), and non-tumorigenic cell line (H9C2) was assessed by MTT assay. THMPP at IC₅₀ concentration of 83.23 μM and 113.94 μM, induced cell death in MCF-7 and SkBr3 cells, respectively. Increased level of caspase-3 and -9, fragmentation of DNA, translocation of phosphatidylserine membrane and morphological changes in the cells confirmed the effect of THMPP in inducing the apoptosis. Gene expression analysis has shown that THMPP was able to downregulate the expression of PI3K/S6K1 genes, possibly via EGFR signaling pathway in both the cell lines, MCF-7 and SkBr3. Further, molecular docking also confirms the potential binding of THMPP with EGFR. QSAR and ADME analysis proved THMPP as an effective anti-breast cancer drug, exhibiting important pharmacological properties. Overall, the results suggest that THMPP induced cell death might be regulated by EGFR signaling pathway which augments THMPP being developed as a potential candidate for treating breast cancer.

乳腺癌是最常见的癌症，主要影响女性。本研究的重点是探索2-((1,2,3,4-四氢喹啉-1-基)(4甲氧基苯基)甲基)苯酚(THMPP)对人类乳腺癌的潜在抗癌活性。THMPP 的作用机制、特定信号通路的激活、结构活性关系和药物相似特性仍然难以捉摸。进行细胞增殖和活力测定、半胱天冬酶活性、DNA 片段化和 FITC/Annexin V、AO/EtBr 染色、RT-PCR、QSAR 和 ADME 分析，以了解药物的作用模式。通过 MTT 测定评估 THMPP 对多种乳腺癌细胞系（MCF-7 和 SkBr3）和非致瘤细胞系（H9C2）的影响。THMPP的IC ₅₀浓度为83.23 μM和113.94 μM，分别诱导MCF-7和SkBr3细胞死亡。caspase-3和-9水平升高、DNA片段化、磷脂酰丝氨酸膜易位以及细胞形态学变化证实了THMPP诱导细胞凋亡的作用。基因表达分析表明，THMPP 能够下调 PI3K/S6K1 基因的表达，可能是通过 MCF-7 和 SkBr3 细胞系中的 EGFR 信号通路。此外，分子对接还证实了 THMPP 与 EGFR 的潜在结合。QSAR 和 ADME 分析证明 THMPP 是一种有效的抗乳腺癌药物，具有重要的药理学特性。总体而言，结果表明 THMPP 诱导的细胞死亡可能受到 EGFR 信号通路的调节，这增强了 THMPP 被开发为治疗乳腺癌的潜在候选药物的潜力。