Cell Journal (Nov 2022)
Colchicine of Colchicum autumnale, A Traditional Anti-Inflammatory Medicine, Induces Apoptosis by Activation of Apoptotic Genes and Proteins Expression in Human Breast (MCF-7) and Mouse Breast (4T1) Cell Lines
Abstract
ObjectiveBreast cancer is one of the major causes of mortality among women. Due to many side effects of the existingchemotherapeutic agents, the research of anti-cancer drugs, including natural products, is still a big challenge. Here,we investigated the effects of colchicine on apoptosis of two breast cancer cell lines ( human MCF-7 and mouse 4T1).Materials and MethodsIn this experimental study, we evaluated the apoptotic effects of colchicine on (MCF-7) and(4T1), as well as a human cancer-associated fibroblast cell line as a control group. Extraction and chromatographictechniques were applied to isolate colchicine from Colchicum autumnale L. To compare the isolated colchicine withpure standard colchicine, we used the H-NMR technique. The methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay, quantitativereverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction, Western blotting and annexin V/PI staining were used to evaluate theapoptotic effects of the isolated and standard colchicine.ResultsSimilar to standard colchicine, the isolated colchicine inhibited cell proliferation significantly in cancer celllines. Colchine inhibited proliferation and induced apoptosis on a dose-dependent manner. The medicine modified theexpression of genes-related to apoptosis by up-regulation of P53 ,BAX, CASPASE-3, -9 and down-regulation of BCL-2gene, which led to an increase in the BAX/BCL-2 ratio.ConclusionWe showed that isolated colchicine from Colchicum autumnale and pure standard colchicines modulatethe expression levels of several genes and therefore exerting their anticancer effects on both human (MCF-7) andmouse (4T1) breast cancer cells. Based on these results, we suggest that colchicine can be a potential candidate forprevention and treatment of breast cancer.
Keywords
