Abstract

Background: Breast cancer was known as the second most common cause of death in the world, natural sources compound derived from milk thistle called silymarin had already shown anticancer properties.

Objective: In the present study, silymarin was used to treat MCF7 cells and inhibition of stem cell pluripotency genes, as well as cell proliferation.

Methods: MCF7 cells were cultured in the presence of RPMI-1640 medium consisting of various silymarin extract concentrations (10, 100, 500, 1000, 2000, 3000, 4000, and 5000 μg/mL) for 24, 48, and 72 hours. The inhibitory effects of the compound on cellular proliferation were assessed via employing MTT assay techniques. Following confirming apoptosis, the fold changes of OCT4, NANOG and P53 expression were determined by quantitative Real-time PCR.

Results: There was a significant difference (p value <0.05) in cell viability when various concentrations of silymarin extract were used for 24, 48, and 72 h in comparison to the control. Real-time- PCR analysis indicated that the expression of OCT4 and NANOG was downregulated while P53 upregulated in compare to untreated control cells (p value <0.05).

Conclusion: According to these findings, the silymarin effects on MCF7 cell line and act via modulating OCT4, NANOG, and P53 pathway mediators. Silymarin may introduce this compound as a promising therapeutic compound against MCF7.

Graphical Abstract