Proapoptotic and Antiproliferative Effects of Thymus caramanicus on Human Breast Cancer Cell Line (MCF‐7) and Its Interaction with Anticancer Drug Vincristine

Abstract

Thymus caramanicus Jalas is one of the species of thymus that grows in the wild in different regions of Iran. Traditionally, leaves of this plant are used in the treatment of diabetes, arthritis, and cancerous situation. Therefore, the present study was designed to investigate the selective cytotoxic and antiproliferative properties of Thymus caramanicus extract (TCE). MCF-7 human breast cancer cells were used in this study. Cytotoxicity of the extract was determined using MTT and neutral red assays. Biochemical markers of apoptosis (caspase 3, Bax, and Bcl-2) and cell proliferation (cyclin D1) were evaluated by immunoblotting. Vincristine was used as anticancer control drug in extract combination therapy. The data showed that incubation of cells with TCE (200 and 250 μg/mL) significantly increased cell damage, activated caspase 3 and Bax/Bcl2 ratio. In addition, cyclin D1 was significantly decreased in TCE-treated cells. Furthermore, concomitant treatment of cells with extract and anticancer drug produced a significant cytotoxic effect as compared to extract or drugs alone. In conclusion, thymus extract has a potential proapoptotic/antiproliferative property against human breast cancer cells and its combination with chemotherapeutic agent vincristine may induce cell death effectively and be a potent modality to treat this type of cancer.

Apoptotic effects of thymol, a novel monoterpene phenol, on different types of cancer

“…At the present time, chemotherapy is one of the main methods of modern cancer treatment. However, most chemotherapeutic agents have various important short-and long-term side effects (14). Recently, major research has been focused on the biologically active derivatives of medicinal plants which have been considered for the development of novel potential non-toxic drugs and prevention and treatment of certain types of cancer (10,14).…”

“…However, most chemotherapeutic agents have various important short-and long-term side effects (14). Recently, major research has been focused on the biologically active derivatives of medicinal plants which have been considered for the development of novel potential non-toxic drugs and prevention and treatment of certain types of cancer (10,14). The medicinal plants of the Lamiaceae family have been used by humans for thousands of years and have been recognized for their therapeutical properties (15,16).…”

“…Thymol exhibited stronger cytotoxicity at a concentration of 30.5 ng/ml towards HeLa (human epithelial cervical cancer) and Hep (Human larynx epidermoid carcinoma) cell lines (24). Esmaeili-Mahani et al (2014) reported that an extract of Thymus caramanicus with major constituents of essential oil, namely with carvacrol and thymol, has a potential apoptotic and antiproliferative property against MCF-7 human breast cancer cells while a combination with vincristine, a chemotherapeutic agent, may effectively induce cell death and be a potent modality to treat this type of cancer (14). Karkabounas et al (2006)…”

Health-Promoting Effects of Thymus Phenolic-Rich Extracts: Antioxidant, Anti-inflammatory and Antitumoral Properties

“…As for drugs in general, the majority of these studies used the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay as a first approach method to estimate cytotoxicity/growth-inhibitory activity of extracts in cancer cell lines (Table 3). This colorimetric method measures the activity of mitochondrial enzymes that reduce MTT to purple formazan, and this conversion is often used as an estimative of viable cells [30,59]. Similar principle methods are also applied by the authors, including those based on the reduction of 2,3-bis-(2-methoxy-4-nitro-5-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium-5-carboxanilide (XTT) [42,86]; or sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay, which is based on the ability of SRB to bind to protein components of cells under mild acidic conditions and that can be extracted under basic conditions, given an estimation of cell mass (extrapolated to growth activity) [87,88].…”

Evaluation of The Cytotoxicity, Cell Cycle Perturbations and Apoptotic Induction in Human Normal and Cancer Liver Cell Lines Exposed to Potassium Nitrate and Sodium Benzoate

“…Morphine was found to induce cell cycle arrest at the G0/G1 and G2/M phase accompanied by breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) apoptosis (Chen et al, 2017). Apoptosis is a form of programmed cell death, a crucial pathway for regulating homeostasis, responding to DNA damage and controlling cell proliferation (Esmaeili et al, 2014).…”