Pharmacological Screening of Four Medicinal Lamiaceae Plants, Two of Which Are Endemic To Türkiye: Apoptotic and Cytotoxic Characteristics

Abstract

Introduction: Lamiaceae plants possess anticancer, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activities due to their phytochemical constituents. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of the hydroethanolic extracts of four medicinal Lamiaceae plants (Thymus zygioides, Teucrium sandrasicum, Origanum sipyleum, Nepeta italica subsp. cadmea) to apoptosis and cell cycle on MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell line. Methods: The cytotoxic effects of hydroethanolic extracts of these medicinal Lamiaceae plants on cell viability in the MDA-MB-231 cell line were determined by XTT assay. mRNA expression changes of apoptosis and cell-cycle checkpoint regulators (Bax, Bcl-2, H19, RNU43, caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9, cyclin D1, CDK 4, CDK 6) were evaluated by real-time PCR. Results: The hydroethanolic extracts from four medicinal Lamiaceae plants have exhibited high antiproliferative activity in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells according to time and concentration-dependent manner. Conclusions: The potential application of these Lamiaceae medicinal plants as an antiproliferative agent is an important step in understanding the medicinal use of plants in T & uuml;rkiye.