Search

Background and Objective: Breast cancer accounts for about onethird of all cancers in women. Behind lung cancer, it is the second leading cause of cancer deaths in this gender group. In traditional medicine, Euphorbia (E.) microsciadia (Boiss) is a plant used for cancer treatment. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to determine the effect of E. microsciadia extract on elimination of tumor cells and expression of cytokines in breast cancer MDA-MB- 231 cell line. Materials and Methods: Cell culture was performed in Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM); supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS), penicillin (1IU/ml), and streptomycin (1μg/ml) at 37°C, with 5% CO2 and 95% humidity. The effect of E. microsciadia extract on the viability of MDA-MB-231 cells was then evaluated by MTT assay. To estimate the expression level of the mRNA of IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-17A, TGF-β1, and INF-γ following MDA-MB-231 cell line treatment with the plant extract, the RNA was extracted using TRIzol solution for cDNA synthesis. The mRNA expression level was subsequently measured in the samples by TaqMan real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique. The expression of cytokines in both groups of extract treatment and control was ultimately analyzed via Mann-Whitney U test. Results: After 24 and 48 h, the IC50 values for the E. microsciadia extract were determined at 278.30 and 238.20μg/ml, respectively. Besides, the extract showed evidence of anti-proliferative effects on the MDA-MB-231 cell line in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Moreover, the expression levels of INF-γ, IL-8, and IL-1β had significantly increased 24 and 48 h after being treated with E. microsciadia extract. The expression level of TGF-β1, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-17A had correspondingly augmented and decreased after 24 and 48 h of treatment; respectively. Conclusion: The E. microsciadia extract may be used as a tool to manipulate expression of cytokine genes and to ultimately control cell growth and proliferation, which is of utmost importance for molecular and cellular studies in cancer therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Multi-drug resistance (MDR) might be acquired by the cancer cells during chemotherapy, and ATPbinding cassette (ABC) transporters play a significant role in MDR. Interferon-γ (IFN-γ) and IFN-β can inhibit cancer cell proliferation; however, the effects and mechanism of these cytokines on growth and MDR are still unclear. Methods and Materials: Using the MDA-MB-231 cell line, we assessed the effects of 20, 100, and 500 IU/ml of IFN-γ and IFN-β, alone or in combination, on cell viability by the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay, and then we performed the Uptake and Efflux experiment to evaluate the effect of these IFNs on the cell resistance. Then, using quantitative real-time PCR, we evaluated changes in the expression of ABCB1, ABCC1, and ABCG2 mRNA levels. Results: We discovered that IFN-γ and IFN-β may both reduce viability, either alone or in combination. The combination of IFNs also displayed synergistic responses, particularly when utilizing equivalent dosages of 500 or 100 IU/ml. The combination of IFN-γ and IFN-β resulted in a significant increase in doxorubicin accumulation and down-regulation of the ABCC1 gene at the mRNA level. Conclusion: Our study suggested that equal doses of IFN-γ and IFN-β in combination may result in potentiated responses against cancer, especially when combined with chemotherapy agents. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]