Antiproliferative Effects of Ferula assa-foetida’s Extract on PC12 and MCF7 Cancer Cells

Background: Ferula assa-foetida is a herbaceous plant of the Umbelliferae family having a broad spectrum of biological activities such as antiseptic, antibacterial, anti-inflammation, and, anti-tumor activity against a wide range of cancers. Among these features, antitumor activity has become more important in recent years and it still demands more investigations to address the underlying mechanisms. Purpose: This current study was conducted to evaluate the anti-proliferative effect of Ferula assa-foetida on PC12 and MCF7 cells as well as examining its mechanisms. Materials and Methods: Cells were cultured in DMEM medium with 10% fetal bovine serum, 100 units/ml penicillin, and 100 µg/ml streptomycin. Cells incubated with different concentrations of the ethanolic extract of Ferula assa-foetida. Notably, cytotoxicity and apoptosis assay were measured by MTT and PI staining, respectively. Results: The MTT results showed that the ethanolic extract of Ferula assa-foetida in concentrations of 10, 7, 5, and 2.5 μM on both PC12 and MCF7 cells had a significant effect in cell viability and apoptosis induction in comparison to control group. Conclusion: In this study, it was determined that Ferula assa-fetida through the induction of apoptosis prevented the growth of PC12 and MCF7 cells and made a reduction in cell viability with different concentrations in a time- and dose-dependent manner. However, more studies are needed to reveal the mechanisms of Ferula assa-foetida’s extract in apoptosis induction.