title: Antitumor effects of Origanum acutidens extracts on human breast cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There has been a long-standing interest in the identification of medicinal plants and derived natural products for developing anticancer agents. This work aimed at investigating the antiprolipherative properties of Origanum acutidens (OA) on breast cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  OA water extracts were studied for cytotoxicity against the breast cancer cell lines MCF-7, MDA-MB-468 and MDA-MB-231. In vitro apoptosis studies of these cancer cell lines were performed by annexin V staining in flow cytometry analyses. Immunohistochemistry studies for Ki-67 and caspase-7 of tumor tissue sections of dimethylbenzanthracene (DMBA) -induced mammary cancer in rats were also performed. TUNEL assay was used to detect apoptotic cells of tumor tissue. In vivo anticancer activity testing was carried out by inhibiting the growth of DMBA-induced mammary cancer in rats.
  
  
  RESULTS
  OA showed cytotoxicity on all 3 cancer cell lines. Annexin-positive cells level in OA-treated cell lines were significantly higher compared with untreated control cells (p=0.002). The expressions of caspase-7 protein and TUNEL-positive cells were much higher for the rats treated by OA, compared with the untreated control group (p<0.05). The expressions of the Ki-67 decreased in the treated groups compared with the control group (p<0.05). In vivo studies showed that the mean tumor volume inhibition ratio in OA-treated group was 41 % compared with the untreated rats (p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results indicate that OA has antitumor activity against breast cancer cell lines.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Comhuriyet University Faculty of Medicine, Sivas, Turkey.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Tuncer
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Unver-Saraydin
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Tepe
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Karadayi
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ozer
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Karadayi
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Inan
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Elagoz
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Polat
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Duman
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Turan
mesh_terms: D015127:9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene; D000818:Animals; D017304:Annexin A5 / Q000378:metabolism; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor / Q000378:metabolism; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D053179:Caspase 7 / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D020287:In Situ Nick-End Labeling; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen / Q000378:metabolism; D061986:MCF-7 Cells; D031341:Origanum / Q000737:chemistry*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D012997:Solvents / Q000737:chemistry; D013997:Time Factors; D047368:Tumor Burden / Q000187:drug effects; D014867:Water / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D017304:Annexin A5; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D014408:Biomarkers, Tumor; D019394:Ki-67 Antigen; D010936:Plant Extracts; D012997:Solvents; D014867:Water; D015127:9,10-Dimethyl-1,2-benzanthracene; D053179:Caspase 7