Dichloromethane fractions of Scrophularia oxysepala extract induce apoptosis in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells

Abstract

Breast cancer is a prevalent malignancy among women, especially in developing countries. A large number of anticancer agents with herbal origins have been reported. Hence, herbals may play an essential role in prevention and treatment of cancers. We investigated cytotoxic eff ects of dichloromethane fractions of Scrophularia oxysepala extract on the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line. Th e cytotoxic activity of Scrophularia oxysepala fractions on the MCF-7 cells was assessed using Trypan Blue dye exclusion and MTT (3-(4, 5-dimetylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assays. In addition, apoptosis induction was determined using TUNEL (terminal deoxy transferase (TdT)-mediated dUTP nick-end labeling) assay and DNA fragmentation analysis. Quantitative Real-Time PCR was also used for analyzing the changes in Caspase-3, Caspase-9, and Bcl-2 genes’ expression. Results revealed an eff ective inhibition of growth and viability in MCF-7 cells treated with dichloromethane fractions. Cell death assay and DNA fragmentation analysis using the TUNEL test confi rmed the induction of apoptosis in the MCF-7 cell line. Further, the fractions have resulted in an increased expression of Caspase-3and Caspase-9 mRNA, which highlights the possibility of apoptosis in the treatments. Th e expression study of Caspase-9 mRNA confi rmed that, the fractions have triggered apoptosis via intrinsic mitochondrial pathway. In summary, fractions of Scrophularia oxysepala extract were found to be promising in growth inhibition and induction of apoptosis in MCF-7 breast cancer cells.