title: [Effect of apoptosis in human breast cancer cells and its probable mechanisms by genistein].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effects of genistein on human breast cancer cell MCF-7 apoptosis and its probable mechanisms.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, the methods of MTT, cell apoptosis detecting in fluorescent and electronic microscope and flow cytometry, and expression of Bax and erbB-2 protein were employed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The results showed that genistein could significantly inhibit the growth and induce the apoptosis of MCF-7 cells. Apoptotic cells of morphology from MCF-7 cells treated by different concentrations of genistein were observed by fluorescent and electronic microscope and the frequency of apoptosis in MCF-7 cells by flow cytometry showed increasingly with concentrations of genistein increased. The expression of Bax protein in MCF-7 cells was increased and the expression of erbB-2 protein was decreased with the doses of genistein.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Genistein can induce MCF-7 cells apoptosis and it may be one of the mechanisms for the inhibitory effect of genistein in human cancer cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology Engineering, Harbin Commerce University, Harbin 150076, China.
authors.forename: Ying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: Yu-Mei
authors.initials: YM
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Dan-Feng
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Hong-Bin
authors.initials: HB
authors.lastname: Cui
mesh_terms: D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D005260:Female; D019833:Genistein / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006801:Humans; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases / Q000378:metabolism; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents; D019833:Genistein; D018719:Erb-b2 Receptor Tyrosine Kinases; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; C494826:BAX protein, human; C508053:ERBB2 protein, human