Samira Karimaei - Department of Microbiology, School of Medicine, Iran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Alireza Namazi Shabestari - Department of Geriatric Medicine, School of Medicine, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran
Akram Mirzaei - Department of Biology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
Behrouz Fatahi - Department of Urology, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran

Introduction: Cancer is considered a significant cause of mortality worldwide, and the mortality rate has been growing significantly in the last decades. The present study aimed to assess the effect of nisin on apoptosis and metastasis of human bladder carcinoma (۵۶۳۷) and renal carcinoma (ACHN) cells. Methods: In this experimental study, the ۵۶۳۷ and ACHN cell lines were cultured and treated with diverse densities of nisin. The viability test was evaluated by MTT assay. The gene expression level of BAX, BCL-۲, CEA, and Rho-GDI۲ was examined by real-time PCR. Results: The ۴۳۰ and ۲۳۰µg/mL nisin could suppress the proliferation of ACHN and ۵۶۳۷ cell lines, respectively. In both studied cancer cells, the expression of BAX, BCL-۲, CEA, and Rho-GDI۲ genes was significantly augmented with nisin exposure.  Conclusion: Our results discovered that nisin has cytotoxic effects on the ACHN and ۵۶۳۷ cells and prompts apoptosis over up-regulating the BAX/BCL-۲ ratio in the ۵۶۳۷-cell line. Moreover, nisin might suppress the metastasis process via up-regulation of the Rho-GDI۲ gene.

Antimicrobial Peptides, Anticancer, Apoptosis, Gene expression, Real-Time PCR