Apoptosis-Mediated Inhibition of Human Breast Cancer Cell Proliferation by Lemon Citrus Extract

作者：Alshatwi Ali A^*; Shafi Gowhar; Hasan Tarique N; Al Hazzani Amal A; Alsaif Mohammed A; Alfawaz Mohammed A; Lei K Y; Munshi Anjana

来源：Asian Pacific Journal of Cancer Prevention, 2011, 12(6): 1555-1559.

• Lemon citrus
• apoptosis
• MCF-7 cells
• gene expression
• mitochondrial membrane potential

Dietary phytochemicals have a variety of antitumor properties. In the present study, the antitumor activity of methanolic extract of lemon fruit (lemon extract; LE) (LE) on the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line was investigated in vitro. Apoptotic cell death was analyzed using the TUNEL assay. In addition, the apoptosis mediated by LE extract in the MCF-7 cells was associated with the increased expression of the tumor suppressor p53 and caspase-3. Additionally, the expression of a pro-apoptotic gene, bax, was increased, and the expression of an anti-apoptotic gene, bcl-2, was decreased by LE extract treatment, resulting in a shift in the Bax: Bcl-2 ratio to one that favored apoptosis. The expression of a major apoptotic gene, caspase-3, was increased by LE extract treatment. In light of the above results, we concluded that LE extract can induce the apoptosis of MCF-7 breast cancer cells via Bax-related caspase-3 activation. This study provides experimental data that are relevant to the possible future clinical use of LE to treat breast cancer.

• 出版日期2011