Mustafa Mansouri1, Seyed Adel Moallem2,3, Javad Asili4, Leila Etemad5. 1. Department of Pharmacology & Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Pharmaceutical Sciences Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran -Iran (IAUPS). 2. Department of Pharmacodynamics and Toxicology, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. 3. Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Ahl Al Bayt, Karbala, Iraq. 4. Department of Pharmacognosy, School of pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran. 5. Pharmaceutical Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in women worldwide, especially in developing countries. Scrophularia umbrosa Dumort, a medicinal plant, has been used to treat various diseases in traditional medicine. In this study, we investigated the anti-cancer and cytotoxic effects of S. umbrosa Dumort extracts on a human breast cancer cell line. METHODS: The methanol and other S. umbrosa Dumort factions, including those from dichloromethane, water, n-butanol, ethyl acetate, and petroleum ether, were examined. The cytotoxic effects of the fractions on MCF-7 human breast cancer adenocarcinoma and 3T3 mouse embryonic fibroblast cells were evaluated by MTT assays. In addition, apoptotic induction was determined by propidium iodide flow cytometry. RESULTS: The water, n-butanol. petroleum ether, and ethyl acetate fractions had no cytotoxic effects. The methanol and dichloromethane fractions showed significant cytotoxic affects in a dose-dependent manner on the malignant cells while causing no damage to non-malignant cells. In addition, the cell death assay indicated that the S. umbrosa dichloromethane fraction triggered apoptosis in the MCF-7 cells. CONCLUSION: S. umbrosa induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells. The S. umbrosa dichloromethane fraction exhibited the greatest cytotoxic effect on these cells. This work presents a first evaluation of the cytotoxic effects of S. umbrosa and further studies are needed to determine the cytotoxic mechanism.
BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in women worldwide, especially in developing countries. Scrophularia umbrosa Dumort, a medicinal plant, has been used to treat various diseases in traditional medicine. In this study, we investigated the anti-cancer and cytotoxic effects of S. umbrosa Dumort extracts on a human breast cancer cell line. METHODS: The methanol and other S. umbrosa Dumort factions, including those from dichloromethane, water, n-butanol, ethyl acetate, and petroleum ether, were examined. The cytotoxic effects of the fractions on MCF-7 human breast cancer adenocarcinoma and 3T3 mouse embryonic fibroblast cells were evaluated by MTT assays. In addition, apoptotic induction was determined by propidium iodide flow cytometry. RESULTS: The water, n-butanol. petroleum ether, and ethyl acetate fractions had no cytotoxic effects. The methanol and dichloromethane fractions showed significant cytotoxic affects in a dose-dependent manner on the malignant cells while causing no damage to non-malignant cells. In addition, the cell death assay indicated that the S. umbrosa dichloromethane fraction triggered apoptosis in the MCF-7 cells. CONCLUSION: S. umbrosa induced apoptosis in MCF-7 cells. The S. umbrosa dichloromethane fraction exhibited the greatest cytotoxic effect on these cells. This work presents a first evaluation of the cytotoxic effects of S. umbrosa and further studies are needed to determine the cytotoxic mechanism.
Authors: Philip C Stevenson; Monique S J Simmonds; Julia Sampson; Peter J Houghton; Peter Grice Journal: Phytother Res Date: 2002-02 Impact factor: 5.878
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