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Apoptotic effect of thymoquinone on OVCAR3 cells via the P53 and CASP3 activation

Özge Karaosmanoğlu1, Zeynep Kamalak2, İlhan Özdemir3

  • 1Acibadem Maslak Hospital, IVF Clinic - Istanbul - Turkey.

Acta Cirurgica Brasileira
|November 13, 2024
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Thymoquinone effectively reduced ovarian cancer cell viability and increased apoptotic gene expression (p53 and Caspase-3). This suggests thymoquinone is a promising therapeutic agent for ovarian cancer treatment.

Area of Science:

  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Oncology

Background:

  • Classical cancer treatments have limitations.
  • Novel therapeutic agents are needed for effective cancer treatment.
  • Thymoquinone exhibits diverse biological activities.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the cytotoxic effects of thymoquinone on ovarian cancer cells.
  • To analyze the impact of thymoquinone on apoptotic gene expression (p53 and Caspase-3) in ovarian cancer.
  • To evaluate thymoquinone as a potential therapeutic agent for ovarian cancer.

Main Methods:

  • Ovarian adenocarcinoma cells (OVCAR3) were treated with varying concentrations of thymoquinone over different time periods.
  • Cell viability was assessed using the MTT assay.
  • Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) was employed to analyze the expression levels of p53 and Caspase-3 genes.

Main Results:

  • Thymoquinone demonstrated a significant dose- and time-dependent reduction in OVCAR3 cell viability (p < 0.05).
  • The expression of both Caspase-3 and p53 genes was found to increase in OVCAR3 cells treated with thymoquinone.
  • These findings indicate thymoquinone's cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic effects on ovarian cancer cells.

Conclusions:

  • Thymoquinone exhibits significant in-vitro cytotoxic activity against ovarian cancer cells.
  • The observed increase in apoptotic gene expression supports thymoquinone's role in inducing apoptosis.
  • Thymoquinone is a promising agent for future ovarian cancer treatment, warranting further comprehensive studies for potential clinical application.

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