Chemomodulatory effects of Alysicarpus vaginalis extract via mitochondria-dependent apoptosis and necroptosis in breast cancer

Nutr Cancer. 2020;72(7):1243-1253. doi: 10.1080/01635581.2019.1670855. Epub 2019 Oct 21.

Abstract

The present study intended to assess the anticancer potential of Alysicarpus vaginalis ethyl acetate fraction (AVEAF) in breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-453) and against N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) induced mammary carcinoma in Sprague-Dawley rats which resemble the human estrogen dependent breast cancer. The SRB assay showed that the maximum growth inhibition rate of AVEAF on MCF-7 cell was 27.12 at 100 µg/ml. Flow cytometry analysis observed that AVEAF induced the cell cycle arrest at the S phases and decreased in mitochondrial membrane potential on the MCF-7 cells. AVEAF elevated intracellular ROS level in the MCF-7 cells which were reversed with N-acetycysteine (2 mM) pretreatment indicating that AVEAF induced mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis via augmentation of intracellular ROS. Western blotting exhibited that AVEAF increased the expression of pro-apoptotic protein Bax while decreasing anti-apoptotic proteins Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL expression which promoted the cleavage of caspase-9, PARP1, RIPK 1, and RIPK 3. Additionally, AVEAF exerted anticancer effect on tumor-bearing rats and the tumor inhibition rate is 50%. Data of the study indicate that AVEAF exhibits In Vitro and In Vivo anticancer activities that associate with its ROS-mediated mitochondrial-mediated intrinsic pathway of apoptosis and necroptosis in MCF-7 cells and may serve as a potential against breast cancer.

MeSH terms

  • Animals
  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / pharmacology
  • Apoptosis / drug effects*
  • Breast Neoplasms / drug therapy
  • Breast Neoplasms / metabolism*
  • Breast Neoplasms / pathology
  • Cell Cycle Checkpoints / drug effects
  • Cell Proliferation / drug effects
  • Fabaceae / chemistry*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • MCF-7 Cells
  • Membrane Potential, Mitochondrial / drug effects
  • Mitochondria / metabolism*
  • Necroptosis / drug effects*
  • Plant Extracts / pharmacology*
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / metabolism
  • Rats
  • Rats, Sprague-Dawley
  • Reactive Oxygen Species / metabolism
  • bcl-2-Associated X Protein / metabolism

Substances

  • Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic
  • BCL2 protein, human
  • Plant Extracts
  • Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2
  • Reactive Oxygen Species
  • bcl-2-Associated X Protein