Transcriptional expression of Bcl-2, Her2, VEGF, and hTERT in Caki-1 human renal cancer cells with modulation of Cornus mas extract

Abstract

Background: Herbal medicines, particularly those rich in polyphenolic compounds, have been proposed to be chemotherapeutic factors, which can modulate several pathways associated with cancer. To gain mechanistic insights into the anti-proliferative impacts of Cornus mas extract (CME), this study investigated the expression changes of several prominent genes, which involved in malignancy with therapeutic potential. Materials and Methods: To perform the research, Caki-1 cancer cells were incubated for 72 h with 250 µg/ml of CME upon the cells with ribonucleic acids (RNAs) extracted for identified alterations of human telomerase reverse transcriptase (hTERT), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (Her2), and B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) gene expressions by a quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction. The changes in protein expression were analyzed by the western blot method. Cell apoptosis was detected using the flow cytometry technique. Results: Cornus mas extract caused down-regulated Bcl-2 as an anti-apoptotic 4.34-fold gene expression. Moreover, Her2 oncogene messenger RNA expression was inhibited by 250 µg/ml concentration of ~10-fold CME. The antitumor activity of CME was pronounced in its potent anti-angiogenic potential, as CME resulted in a striking decrease in ~125 fold-expression of VEGF compared to the untreated control. In contrast, CME led to ~2.6 fold up-regulation of hTERT in Caki-1 cancer cells. Conclusion: Overall, various molecular pathways were formed to interplay with Caki-1 cells, which depend on the active phenolic compound of CME. It is recommended to perform further studies to investigate the effect of unique polyphenols of the total extract of CME to establish therapy with replication-competent adenovirus as an effective strategy