Comparative cellular and molecular analysis of cytotoxicity and apoptosis induction by doxorubicin and Baneh in human breast cancer T47D cells

It is now widely accepted that dietary phytochemicals inhibit cancer progression and enhance the effects of conventional chemotherapy. In this report, we comparatively studied the cellular and molecular aspects of apoptosis induction by the methanolic extract of Baneh fruit skin in comparison to Doxorubicin (Dox), a well-known anticancer drug, in human breast cancer T47D cells. The MTT assay was used to determine the antiproliferative effects. The flow cytometric and microscopic analyses were done to evaluate the apoptosis induction. Furthermore, western blot analyses have been done to study the role of key molecular players of apoptosis including caspase 3 and PARP. The Baneh extract showed strong antiproliferative activity against T47D cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner that was comparable to and even stronger than Dox in certain concentrations. Analysis of Baneh-treated cells by flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy indicated strong apoptosis induction and nuclear morphological alterations similar to or greater than Dox. Finally, molecular analysis of apoptosis by western blotting proved activation of caspase 3 followed by poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) cleavage more efficiently in Baneh than in Dox treated cancer cells. These findings indicate that Baneh extract contains phytochemicals which act as inhibitor of cell proliferation and inducer of apoptosis in human breast cancer T47D cells that makes it a potentially good candidate for new anticancer drug development.