The impact of caffeic acid phenethyl ester, chrysin and ethanolic extracts of propolis on PLD۱ gene expression in AGS cell line

Introduction: Up-regulation of phospholipase D (PLD) is functionally related to tumorigenesis and oncogenic signals. Chrysin, caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE) and ethanolic extract of propolis (EEP) are three safe compounds which have been shown to possess antiproliferative, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antineoplastic properties. In this study, the effects of these three compounds on PLD۱ gene expression were examined in AGS cell line. Methods: After determining the appropriate concentrations of EEP, CAPE, and chrysin, AGS cells were cultured in mediums with proper ratios of the compounds. AGS cells were maintained in exponential growth and the culture mediums refreshed every other day. Finally, after extracting total RNA from AGS cells, real-time PCR was performed to evaluate the mRNA expression of PLD۱ in the presence of each compound. Results: CAPE decreased the mRNA level of PLD۱ gene in a dose-dependent manner. A solution with ۳۰ μM concentration of CAPE was the effective dose in comparison to control group as well as ۱۵ and ۲۰ μM concentrations of the compound, whereas no changes were observed in the presence of EEP and chrysin. Conclusion: Taken together, the results of the study indicated that CAPE might exert its anti-neoplastic effect by targeting PLD۱ expression in AGS cell line.