Aquatic Garlic Extract Decreases Cell Viability and Induces Apoptosis of Human Breast Cancer Cell line (MCF-7) In Vitro

Garlic and its extracts have played an important medicinal role in humans for centuries that includes antimicrobial, hypoglycemic, and lipid-lowering properties. The present study was to investigate the effects of aquatic garlic extract (AGE) on the growth of human breast cancer cell line, not previously studied.The human breast cancer cell line, (MCF-7), were propagated at 37 ºC; air/CO2 (95:5 v/v) using the RPMI-1640 medium and 10% FBS. All cells were plated at a density of ~5000 cells/well. After overnight incubation, the cells were treated with 1.25, 2.5, 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, or 40 µg/mL of AGE. After 24, 48 and 72 hours, the morphological changes were evaluated by reverse microscope and the effect of these concentrations on cell viability at these times and apoptotic gene expression was examined by MTT assay and RT-PCR, respectively. The results showed that AGE did not change morphological features at 24 and 48h, but these changes were observed when they treated with 10-40 µg/mL of AGE after 72h. Simultaneously, MTT assay results showed that cells treated with 10-40 µg/mL after 24h and all of concentration of AGE after 48 and 72h reduce the viability of cells. AGE also induced apoptosis and had an increase in Bax and Caspase-3 (Apoptosis) and a decrease in Bcl2(antiapoptosis) expression in cells when treated at a dose of 15, 20 or 30 µg/mL.This investigation of AGE clearly highlights the fact that the water bioactive compounds in AGE have the potential as promising anticancer agents.