Anticancer activity of methanolic Cordia myxa extract on caspase-8 in breast cancer

Introduction: Breast cancer is one of the most prevalent females and male cancer in the world. Persistent high mortality rates in breast cancer patients, in spite of the latest advances in diagnosis and therapy, confirms that the necessity of new developments in tumor prognostic [1-2]. natural therapies, such as the use of plant-derived products in cancer treatment, may reduce side effects [8]. Cordia myxa is a plant of Boraginaceae family and has a wide range of antioxidant compounds as well as trace elements including magnesium, copper, iron, zinc, and selenium. In this study the effects of Cordia myxa extract on expression level caspase-8 in breast cancer have been assessed.Materials & methods: In this experimental study, human breast cancer Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 (MCF-7) cell line treated with various concentrations of Cordia myxa extract (0, 10, 100, and 1000 μg/ml). The effects of Cordia myxa extract on cell proliferation were measured by MTT-assay. To investigate the impact of the Cordia myxa extract on the expression level of caspase-8 genes was used quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blotting was performed to evaluated the level of caspase-3 protein.Results: Cell proliferation decreased significantly after treatment with methanolic extract of Cordia myxa for 24 and 48 h. It can be assumed the methanolic extract of Cordia myxa has anti-proliferative effects in MCF-7 cell line. Furthermore, Cordia myxa extract led to increase expression of caspase-8.Conclusion: In conclusion, it can be assumed that the methanolic extract of Cordia myxa can be a potential candidate for more investigations in the field of cancer. However, identifying the effective agent of the Cordia myxa extract is necessary for achieving the most successful results.