Antiprolifrative effect of Cucurbitacin D on MCF-7 breast cancer cell line

Introduction and aim: Breast cancer is the second most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death in women. Cucurbitacins are highly oxidized tetracyclic triterpenoids found in medicinal plants known for their diverse pharmacological and biological activities, including anticancer effects. The aim of the present study is to examine the effects of the anti-tumor cucurbitacin D on viability of breast cancer cell line MCF-7. Method: The effect of cucurbitacin D on Cell viability was investigated applying colorimetric MTT (3- (4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5 diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. Cells were seeded in a 96-well plate (10,000 cells/well) in culture medium (RPMI) and incubated for 48 h. Then cells were treated with different concentrations of cucurbitacin D (1, 10, 20-70 μM) for 24 h. Untreated cells were considered as a negativecontrol. One hundred microliter MTT solution (1:5, diluted by medium) was added to each well. After 4 h incubation at 37◦C the medium was removed and the remaining formazan crystals were dissolved in DMSO and the optical density was measured at 570 nm using an ELISA plate reader.Result and Conclusion: The experiment demonstrated that LC50 of cucurbitacin D in MCF-7 is 30 μM. It means 50% cell population were killed in this concentration. This result shows high potency of cucurbitacin D.

Keywords:

Cucurbitacin D , Breast Cancer , MCF-7 cell line , MTT assay