The American journal of Chinese medicine
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Radiotherapy plays a crucial role in the multimodal treatment of breast cancer. However, radioresistance poses a significant challenge to its effectiveness, hindering successful cancer therapy. Emerging evidence indicates that Nrf2 and HIF-1[Formula: see text] are critical regulators of cellular anti-oxidant responses and that their overexpression significantly promotes radioresistance. ⋯ Consequently, the Nrf2/HIF-1[Formula: see text] pathway, along with the Nrf2- and HIF-1[Formula: see text]-dependent protective responses, were suppressed. Taken together, our findings demonstrate that WG can epigenetically regulate the Keap1 gene, inhibit the Nrf2/HIF-1[Formula: see text] pathway, induce apoptosis in breast cancer cells, and diminish acquired radioresistance. This study offers potential strategies to overcome the limitations of current radiotherapy for breast cancer.