Rheum khorasanicum Decreases Migration and Induces Apoptosis in the MDA-MB-231 Breast Cancer Cell Line

Abstract

N/A Rheum khorasanicum belongs to the Polygonaceae family, which is well-known for its anticancer activities. Due to the limited studies on the anticancer activity of R. khorasanicum, the present study aimed to evaluate the apoptotic effect of this medicinal plant on MDA-MB-231 cells as a model for an aggressive triple negative breast cancer that has lower treatment option. The high-performance thin layer chromatography (HPTLC) assay was used for determining the main ingredients of the extract. Viability and apoptosis of the cells was evaluated by WST-1 and the annexin-V/PI dual staining assay, respectively. The scratch assay was used to assess the cellular migratory potential, and the western blotting test was employed for determining the expression of proteins involved in the apoptotic pathway. The HPTLC analysis indicated that emodin, gallic acid, epicatechin gallate, and rhaponticin are pharmacologically active compounds isolated from the hydro-alcoholic extract of R. khorasanicum. The extract showed a significant toxic effect on MDA-MB-231 cells. R. khorasanicum extracts also inhibited cellular migratory potential at concentrations higher than 60 μg/mL. The plant extract significantly diminished the Bcl-2/Bax ratio and increased cleaved caspase- 3, cleaved caspase-7/ procaspase-7 expression at protein levels compared to the nontreated cells. Our findings demonstrated that effect root extract efficiently triggered the death of breast cancer cell lines possibly through the stimulation of the apoptotic signaling pathway. N/A