The apoptotic effect of ozone therapy on mitochondrial activity of highly metastatic breast cancer cell line MDA-MB-231 using in vitro approaches

Abstract

Ozone (O₃) gas is the triatomic state of oxygen and it is used as a disinfection agent due to its strong oxidizing effect, since its discovery in the mid-nineteenth century. Ozone therapy is also an alternative therapeutic approach for some diseases like circulatory disorders, AIDS, asthma, cardiovascular diseases, and certain types of cancer by increasing the oxygen levels in the blood by external addition of ozone to the body. In this study, the therapeutic potential of ozone therapy was examined by inhibiting the growth of breast cancer cells in a dose-dependent procedure. Ozone concentrations varying from 5 to 20 ​μg/ml were applied to the MDA-MB-231, human breast adenocarcinoma and HUVEC, human umbilical vein endothelium, cell lines, and MDA cells demonstrated an increased rate of death while its migration potential decreases. RT-PCR analysis showed mRNA expression levels of pro-apoptotic genes demonstrated higher folds in MDA cells after 10 ​μg/ml treatment. In the same context, Annexin V/PI and cell cycle analysis also concluded that ozone therapy causes apoptotic cell death on breast tumor cells. The use of ozone therapy for cancer treatment requires further and extensive research. However, this research has shown that ozone therapy is a promising source for cancer treatment in a way by inhibiting the proliferation of breast tumor cells.