Anticancer Activity and Cytotoxic Effect of Rhizome Extract Against MCF-7 Breast cancer Cell Line – an In Vitro study

Many factors stimulate breast cancer in women, including genetic, chemical, metabolic, environmental, and physical elements. Currently, a diet rich in antioxidants is considered an effective means of controlling cancer growth and spread. Therefore, cytotoxic and anticancer compounds derived from medicinal plants are promising therapeutic agents, as they induce apoptosis pathways. Ginger is one of the medicinal herbs, and its rhizome extracts are used as an anticancer treatment for many types of malignancies. In this study, the viability of human breast cancer cell (MCF-7) was evaluated after treatment with ethanolic ginger extract (GEE) at concentrations of 0.0, 7.8, 15.62, 31.25, 62.50, 125, 250, 500, and 1000 µg/mL for 24, 48 and 72 h using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. GEE significantly reduced the viability of treated cells and increased their inhibition compared to the control group with increasing dose and incubation duration. GEE had significant toxic activity on treated cells (p < 0.05), with IC₅₀ values based on incubation periods of 24, 48 and 72 hours (420.04 ± 16.68, 124.23 ± 8.91 and 60.74 ± 3.04 µg/mL), respectively. Using inverted microscopy, significant morphological changes were observed in MCF-7 cells compared to the control group. The treated cells became smaller and more rounded with a proportional increase in abnormal and dead cells; the morphological changes were most pronounced at a concentration of 500 µg/mL after 72 h of incubation. Flow cytometry measurements revealed a significant induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in the G2/M phase after exposing MCF-7 cells to ginger extract at doses of 100, 200, and 500 µg/mL for 24, 48, and 72 h, compared to the control group (p < 0.05). Meanwhile, no significant change was observed in the G1 phase of cells.