Document Type : Original research

Authors

• Mousa Bohlooli ¹
• Shabnam Zahedi ²
• Ali Maghsoudi ³
• Reza Sheikhnejad ⁴
• Fatemeh Ghamari ⁵
• Mostafa Khajeh ⁶
• Ali Khatibi ⁷
• Parisa Hasanein ²
• Mansour Ghaffari-Moghaddam ⁶
• Nader Sheibani ⁸

¹ Department of Cell and Molecular Sciences,Kharazmi Universty, Tehran, Iran.

² Department of Biology, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran.

³ Department of Animal Science, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran.

⁴ Department of Molecular Biology, Tofigh Daru Co, Tehran, Iran.

⁵ Department of science payame noor university ,Tehran, Iran

⁶ Department of Chemistry, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran.

⁷ Department of Biotechnology, Alzahra University, Tehran, Iran

⁸ Biomedical Engineering, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA.

Abstract

Breast cancer is one of the most common and lethal cancers affecting women, with lung cancer being the only type with higher mortality rates. Among the challenges in treating breast cancer are tumor recurrence and resistance to existing therapies, highlighting the urgent need for novel therapeutic strategies that offer enhanced efficacy and reduced systemic toxicity. In this context, plant-derived compounds have attracted considerable attention for their roles in cancer prevention and treatment. This study focuses on the cytotoxic effects of Teucrium polium ethanolic extract on human breast cancer MCF-7 cells and the expression levels of key survival-related genes, including Bcl-2 and K-Ras. The MCF-7 cells were treated with varying concentrations of the extract for 48 hours, and cell viability was assessed via the MTT assay. The results demonstrated a significant decrease in cell viability, dropping to approximately 54%, 48%, and 35% after treatment with 2.5, 5, and 10 µg/mL of the extract, respectively. Moreover, the expression of Bcl-2 and K-Ras genes was reduced by approximately 37% and 13%, respectively, compared to the control group. In a comparative analysis, fibroblast viability in response to 20 µg/mL cisplatin was around 48%, while exposure to 20 µg/mL of Teucrium polium extract resulted in a viability of 76%. These findings suggest that Teucrium polium ethanolic extract exhibits substantial cytotoxic and anti-proliferative effects against MCF-7 cells, potentially through its impact on the expression of Bcl-2 and K-Ras, which are critical in regulating cancer cell proliferation and survival.

Keywords

• Breast cancer
• Teucrium polium
• MCF-7 cells
• Bcl-2
• K-Ras

Main Subjects

• Effect of different processes on the functional properties of foods or drinks