FTIR Reveals Novel Insights into 5-FU and Carmofur's Impact on Breast Cancer Cells

In this study, the effects of 5-FU, and its derivate Carmofur (Car) on MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells, were examined using FTIR. Both drugs showed a similar response in the protein and nucleic acid region of MCF-7 but opposite results in MDA-MB-231 cells. Under the influence of the drugs, the absorption intensity of the proteins decreased in MCF-7, while it increased in MDA-MB-231 cells. The rate of change was higher in Car. In the fingerprint region, both cells showed the opposite effect. Although the intensity of absorbance in MCF-7 increased with 5-FU and Car, a decrease was measured in MDA-MB-231 cells. An exception in the nucleic acid region was the peak assigned to the asymmetric PO2 peaks in RNAs. Although a specific marker for apoptotic cells, ester-carbonyl binding, appeared in MCF-7 cells with 5-FU and Car at 1745 cm−1, this binding was not seen in MDA-MB-231 cells. The amide I region of the cells was analyzed using the second derivative spectrum. This study aimed to use FTIR spectroscopy to evaluate the response of two different tumor cells to chemotherapy and to provide a clinical prognosis. © 2024 Wiley-VCH GmbH.