title: Apoptosis-mediated inhibition of human breast cancer cell proliferation by lemon citrus extract.
abstract: 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.
authors: Molecular Cancer Biology Research Lab, Department of Food Sciences and Nutrition, College of Food and Agricultural Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. alialshatwi@gmail.com
authors: Ali A
authors: AA
authors: Alshatwi
authors: Gowhar
authors: G
authors: Shafi
authors: Tarique N
authors: TN
authors: Hasan
authors: Amal A
authors: AA
authors: Al-Hazzani
authors: Mohammed A
authors: MA
authors: Alsaif
authors: Mohammed A
authors: MA
authors: Alfawaz
authors: K Y
authors: KY
authors: Lei
authors: Anjana
authors: A
authors: Munshi
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000473:pathology; D053148:Caspase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D002957:Citrus; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2 / Q000378:metabolism; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53 / Q000378:metabolism; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: C494826:BAX protein, human; D010936:Plant Extracts; D019253:Proto-Oncogene Proteins c-bcl-2; C495901:TP53 protein, human; D016159:Tumor Suppressor Protein p53; D051028:bcl-2-Associated X Protein; C505407:CASP3 protein, human; D053148:Caspase 3