BITTER APRICOT (PRUNUS ARMENIACA L.) SEED EXTRACT INDUCES APOPTOSIS OF HUMAN PANCREATIC CANCER CELLS

Background and Aim: Pancreatic cancer is the fourth most common cause of cancer death worldwide, with a 5-year survival of around 5%. Despite therapeutic advances, pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma has poor prognosis due to diagnosis at advanced stages. Traditional medicinal uses of apricot seeds are many to treat skin disease, hemorrhages, inflammation and pain. It has been reported that ethanolic extract from apricot seeds has antitumor activity, and amygdalin from bitter apricot seeds can induce apoptosis. In the present study, we investigated the cyto/genotoxic effects of ethanolic extract of bitter apricot seeds on human pancreatic cancer cell line PANC-1 and normal epithelial 293/KDR cells.Methods: Bitter apricot ethanolic extract (BAEE) were obtained from bitter apricot kernels by maceration. PANC-1 and 293/KDR cells were treated with different concentrations of BAEE. MTT assay, DAPI staining, flow cytometric analysis, and Real-time qPCR were performed. Results: Treatment with BAEE inhibited cancer cell growth in a dose- and time-dependent manner (IC50=704 g/ml at 72h), but exhibited no significant cytotoxic effect on normal cells. BAEE induced apoptosis in the PANC-1 cells that confirmed by various techniques such as DAPI staining, flow cytometry, and gene expression analyses. These measurements revealed fragmented nuclei and cellular disintegration, elevated numbers of early and late stage apoptotic cells, and increase in Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and caspase-3 expression. Results indicate that BAEE could mediate apoptosis induction in cancer cells through a mitochondrial dependent pathway.Conclusion: The present study revealed that BAEE functions as a potent pro-apoptotic factor. In vivo investigation must follow to assess BAEE’s practical value as an anti-tumor drug.

کلیدواژه ها:

pancreatic cancer ، Prunus armeniaca L. ، apoptosis