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Anticancer Potential of Steviol in MCF-7 Human Breast Cancer Cells
Ena Gupta1, Shweta Kaushik2, Shalini Purwar1
1Centre of Biotechnology, University of Allahabad, Allahabad, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Objective:
This study aimed to investigate the cytotoxicity, apoptosis induction, and mechanism of action of steviol on human breast cancer cells (Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 [MCF-7]).
Materials And Methods:
Sulforhodamine-B assay was performed to analyze cytotoxic potential of Steviol whereas flow cytometer was used to analyze cell cycle, apoptosis, and reactive oxygen species generation.
Results:
Studying the viability of cells confirms the IC50 of Steviol in MCF-7 cells which was 185 μM. The data obtained from fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis reveal Steviol-mediated G2/M-phase arrest (P < 0.05) in addition to the presence of evident sub-G0/G1 peak (P < 0.05) in the MCF-7 cells, signifying the ongoing apoptosis.
Conclusion:
Thus, results suggest that induction of apoptosis in MCF-7 cells was due to dose-dependent effect of Steviol. Our first in vitro findings indicate Steviol as a promising candidate for the treatment of breast cancer.
Summary:
Steviol remarkably inhibited the growth MCF-7 HBCCs in a dose dependent mannerIt abolishes cell cycle progression by arresting cells at G2/M phaseSteviol induces the cells to undergo apoptosisSteviol induces the cells to generate reactive oxygen species (ROS). Abbreviations used: MCF-7: Michigan Cancer Foundation-7; SRB: Sulforhodamine-B assay; FACS: Fluorescence-activated cell sorter; ROS: Reactive oxygen species; DNA: Deoxyribonucleic acid.
