乳腺癌大多数起源于乳腺的小叶或导管。作为全球女性死因的第二大主要原因，乳腺癌是最常见的女性癌症。已进行研究以寻找乳腺癌的最佳治疗方法。此外，不同药物和物质对该疾病的治疗效果也进行了深入研究。硼酸占体液中硼含量的96％，其衍生物被人体吸收。假设其可用(B(OH)2)表示。实验研究显示，硼酸能够减少某些黑色素瘤、前列腺癌和结肠癌细胞系的细胞增殖，并促进细胞凋亡。本研究旨在探讨硼酸是否可用于治疗乳腺癌。使用TUNEL、BrdU、caspase-3和endo-G免疫组化方法在3D和2D培养系统中研究了硼酸对人乳腺癌细胞系MCF-7和MDA-MB-231的影响。此外，我们进行了qRT-PCR研究，显示部分与凋亡有关的基因表达的改变。硼酸诱导的细胞凋亡抑制了细胞增殖，在3D和2D培养条件下均观察到。这些结果与基因表达结果相符。MCF-7和MD-MB-231细胞系的ENDOG、CASP3、CASP8和CASP9基因表达在所有时间间隔内均显著改变，硼酸可能作为一种抗癌候选药物用于治疗乳腺癌。© 2023. 作者，Springer Science+Business Media的独家许可证下，属于Springer Nature的一部分。

Most breast cancers originate in the lobules or ducts of the breast. Breast cancer as the second main cause of death among women in the world is the most common kind of cancer in women. Studies have been conducted to find the optimal treatment for breast cancer. Moreover, the therapeutic effects of different drugs and substances on this disease have been intensively researched. Boric acid accounts for 96% of the boron content in body fluids, and its derivatives are absorbed by the human body. It is assumed to be represented as (B(OH)2). Experimental studies have shown a reduction of cell proliferation and stimulation of apoptosis in some melanoma, prostate, and colon cancer cell lines through boric acid. The aim of this study was to investigate if boric acid could be used for treating breast cancer. The impacts of boric acid on the human breast carcinoma cell lines MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 were studied with TUNEL, BrdU, caspase-3, and endo-G immunohistochemical studies in 3D and 2D culture systems. Furthermore, we conducted a qRT-PCR study to show changes in the expression of some genes involved in apoptosis. Suppression of cell proliferation through boric acid-inducing apoptosis was observed both in 3D and 2D culture conditions. These results are compatible with the gene expression results. The ENDOG, CASP3, CASP8, and CASP9 gene expression significantly changed at all time intervals in MCF-7 and MD-MB-231 cell lines boric acid can potentially treat breast cancer as an anti-cancer agent candidate.© 2023. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.