Background and Objective: Breast tumors include the heterogeneous population of various cells such as luminal and myoepithelial cells which can play a significant role in the development and/or the inhibition of breast cancer. It has been observed that paracrine and autocrine activities of myoepithelial cells can limit the mammary tumors via angiogenesis inhibition and apoptosis induction. Therefore, the present study was set to isolate mice mammary myoepithelial cells and to assess their cell death-inducing potential in the breast carcinogenic cells.

Materials and Methods: In this experimental study following the primary culture of mice-isolated myoepithelial cells, specific marker of the myoepithelial cells was determined by flow cytometry analysis. Then, myoepithelial cells were co-cultured with breast carcinoma cells, and the viability of cells was assayed by MTT on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th days after co-culture.

Results: The isolated cells were spindle shaped and elongated. Flow cytometric analysis showed cells with myoepithelial marker including CD10 expression. The co-culture results elicited that the myoepithelial cells significantly inhibited the proliferation and the growth of breast carcinoma cells on the 1st, 3rd, and 5th days after co-culture (P<0.05).

Conclusion: Implementation of myoepithelial cells in the inhibition of mammary cancerous cells is postulated as a new and an efficient approach for cancer therapy.