{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,30]],"date-time":"2026-08-30T02:18:49Z","timestamp":1788056329128,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":67,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"9","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,5,8]],"date-time":"2021-05-08T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1620432000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"The Romanian National Authority for Scientific Research and Innovation, CNCS \u2013UEFISCDI","award":["PN-III-P1-1.1-TE-2019-2134"],"award-info":[{"award-number":["PN-III-P1-1.1-TE-2019-2134"]}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Molecules"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Oral contraceptives (OCs) are widely used due to their efficiency in preventing unplanned pregnancies and treating several human illnesses. Despite their medical value, the toxicity of OCs remains a public concern. Previous studies indicate the carcinogenic potential of synthetic sex hormones and their link to the development and progression of hormone-dependent malignancies such as breast cancer. However, little is known about their influence on the evolution of triple-negative breast carcinoma (TNBC), a malignancy defined by the absence of estrogen, progesterone, and HER2 receptors. This study reveals that the active ingredients of modern OCs, 17\u03b2-Ethinylestradiol, Levonorgestrel, and their combination induce differential effects in MDA-MB-231 TNBC cells. The most relevant behavioral changes occurred after the 24 h treatment with 17\u03b2-Ethinylestradiol, summarized as follows: (i) decreased cell viability (64.32% at 10 \u00b5M); (ii) cell roundness and loss of confluence; (iii) apoptotic aspect of cell nuclei (fragmentation, membrane blebbing); and (iv) inhibited cell migration, suggesting a potential anticancer effect. Conversely, Levonorgestrel was generally associated with a proliferative activity. The association of the two OCs exerted similar effects as 17\u03b2-Ethinylestradiol but was less effective. Further studies are necessary to elucidate the hormones\u2019 cytotoxic mechanism of action on TNBC cells.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/molecules26092776","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,5,10]],"date-time":"2021-05-10T02:54:58Z","timestamp":1620615298000},"page":"2776","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":30,"title":["Insights into the Behavior of Triple-Negative MDA-MB-231 Breast Carcinoma Cells Following the Treatment with 17\u03b2-Ethinylestradiol and Levonorgestrel"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"26","author":[{"given":"Sebastian","family":"Simu","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Center for Pharmaco-Toxicological Evaluations, Faculty of Pharmacy, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square No. 2, RO-300041 Timisoara, Romania"},{"name":"Faculty of Pharmacy, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square No. 2, RO-300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Iasmina","family":"Marcovici","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Center for Pharmaco-Toxicological Evaluations, Faculty of Pharmacy, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square No. 2, RO-300041 Timisoara, Romania"},{"name":"Faculty of Pharmacy, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square No. 2, RO-300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5736-572X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Amadeus","family":"Dobrescu","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, 2nd Department of Surgery, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square No. 2, RO-300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Daniel","family":"Malita","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Department of Radiology, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square No. 2, RO-300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Cristina Adriana","family":"Dehelean","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Center for Pharmaco-Toxicological Evaluations, Faculty of Pharmacy, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square No. 2, RO-300041 Timisoara, Romania"},{"name":"Faculty of Pharmacy, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square No. 2, RO-300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-5760-8872","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Dorina","family":"Coricovac","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Center for Pharmaco-Toxicological Evaluations, Faculty of Pharmacy, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square No. 2, RO-300041 Timisoara, Romania"},{"name":"Faculty of Pharmacy, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square No. 2, RO-300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Flavius","family":"Olaru","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square No. 2, RO-300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-8042-0966","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"George Andrei","family":"Draghici","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Research Center for Pharmaco-Toxicological Evaluations, Faculty of Pharmacy, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square No. 2, RO-300041 Timisoara, Romania"},{"name":"Faculty of Pharmacy, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square No. 2, RO-300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Dan","family":"Navolan","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Medicine, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, \u201cVictor Babes\u201d University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Eftimie Murgu Square No. 2, RO-300041 Timisoara, Romania"}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,5,8]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"580.e1","DOI":"10.1016\/j.ajog.2017.02.002","article-title":"Lifetime cancer risk and combined oral contraceptives: The Royal College of General Practitioners\u2019 Oral Contraception Study","volume":"216","author":"Iversen","year":"2017","journal-title":"Am. 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