Effect of vascular endothelial growth factor siRNA and wild-type p53 co-expressing plasmid in MDA-MB-231 cells

Breast cancer urgently requires improved therapeutic strategies. In the current study, a Pvp53 plasmid that co‑expressed p53 and short‑interfering RNA against vascular endothelial growth factor (si‑VEGF) was developed to replace single plasmid transfections. Whether Pvp53 exhibited improved anti‑tumor effects in breast cancer MDA‑MB‑231 cells was investigated in the present study. Pvp53 significantly reduced the Bcl‑2/Bax ratio and increased the expression of cleaved caspase‑3 and 8. Compared with p53 and si‑VEGF single transfections, the Pvp53 co‑expression plasmid significantly increased the proportion of apoptotic cells and inhibited cell motility and proliferation. These results indicated that the Pvp53 co‑expression plasmid has greater inhibitory effects on breast cancer MDA‑MB‑231 cells than single plasmids.