Roghayeh Davoudi - MSc student, Department of Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, University of Zabol, Zabol, Iran
S Esmaeilzadeh Bahabadi - Assistant professor, Department of Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, University of Zabol, Zabol,Iran.
Sh Najafi - Assistant professor, Department of Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, University of Zabol, Zabol,Iran.
Mahta Mazaheri - Assistant professor, Department of Genetics, Faculty of Medicine, Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical science and Health Services,Yazd,Iran

Breast cancer is one of the most common diseases in worldwide. Clinical efficiency of chemotherapy because of side effects, toxicity and drug resistance is limited. Thus, there is interest for using plants as a promising source of anti-cancer drugs with more efficient. Citrullus colocynthis fruit has cytotoxic effects against cancer. In this study, the effect of hydro alcohlic extract of Citrullus colocynthis fruit on the expression of caspase-3, one of the factors contributing in induction of apoptosis was studied.This study was performed on MCF-7 cell line. Citrullus colocynthis fruit extract was prepared using 70% ethanol. Then cells were treated by concentrations of 200 and 400 μg/ml and harvested on 24, 48 and 72 h after treatment. The expression of caspase-3 was studied by Real-time PCR.The results showed the level of gene expression of caspase-3 increased significantly with increasing concentration and time compare to control. It seems that Citrullus colocynthis fruit extract cause death of cancer cell by induction of apoptosis.

breast cancer, Citrullus colocynthis, caspase-3