| Background One of the major causes of cancer death internationally
and the third most prevalent cancer in the world has
been diagnosed with colorectal cancer. Although current routine
treatments of cancer have been successful in some extent,
mortality caused by adverse effects of these strategies is still
raising. Medicinal plants are potential sources of anticancer
compounds and can be exploited as a powerful complementary
tool. This study aimed to investigate the cytotoxic effects
of nettle extract on mouse colorectal cancer cells, HCT.
Materials and Methods In the present study, to evaluate the
cytotoxicity of nettle extract, MTTassay and trypan blue were
performed. Subsequently, DNA fragmentation and TUNEL
test was carried out for determination of apoptosis. Realtime
PCR test was used to quantify the expression of
Caspase-3, Caspase-9, and Bcl-2 which is involved in apoptosis
regulation. Finally, cell cycle analysis was conducted by
using flow cytometry.
Results The results of MTT assay showed that the dichloromethane
extract of U. dioica extract significantly destroyed
cancer cells HCT-116. DNA fragmentation and TUNEL test
demonstrated that Utrica extract elicited apoptotic response in
the cancer cells. The messenger RNA (mRNA) expression
levels of Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 markedly increased, while
the Bcl-2 gene was conversely downregulated. Findings of
flow cytometry confirmed that cell cycle arrest has occurred
at the G2 phase.
Conclusion Taken together, our experiment showed that subjecting
HCT-116 cells to dichloromethane extract of nettle
(U. dioica), increases turnover of these cells. Thus, it may be
a useful agent in the treatment of colorectal cancer. |