Comparison of Anticancer Activity Between Thymoquinone and Tamoxifen, Thymoquinone + Tamoxifen 0n Mcf-7 Cell Line of Human Breast Cancer –An Invitro Study

Abstract

This study aims at evaluating the anticancer effect on the MCF-7 (Michigan Cancer Foundation-7) cell line of human breast cancer using Thymoquinone and Tamoxifen alone as well as in combination therapy by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) Test. NCCS in Pune provided the MCF-7 cell line. The cells were kept at 37°C in a humidified medium of 50µg/ml CO2 in Minimal Essential Medium added with 10percent FBS (Foetal Bovine Serum), streptomycin (100µg/ml), as well as penicillin (100U/ml). MTT-(3-(4, 5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) test was conducted on MCF-7 cell line for Thymoquinone and Tamoxifen as sole and combination therapy. Measurements were performed using UV (Ultra-Violet)-spectrophotometer at 570-nanometre absorbance and the content needed for a 50 percent inhibitory concentration (IC50) was calculated and evaluated graphically. IC 50 of Thymoquinone on MCF 7 was found to be at 31.2 µg/ml and Tamoxifen was at 62.5 µg/ml were as in combination therapy the IC 50 was found to be at 7.8 µg/ml. There is a remarkable reduction in concentration to achieve IC 50 percentage in combination therapy with a comparison with individual therapy. Therefore, the combination therapy of Thymoquinone and Tamoxifen on the MCF-7 cell line is more efficacious when compared to individual treatment on cell viability inhibition.