Cytotoxic Potential of Crataegus orientalis Fruit Extract: Expression Profiles of Apoptosis - Related Genes (Bax, Bcl2, p53)

Scientists are becoming more interested in the possibility of natural bioactive chemicals as supplemental medicines in cancer treatment. Investigating the biological effects of Crataegus orientalis fruit extract on different human cell lines was the goal of this investigation. HepG2 (liver), MCF-7 (breast), HEK293 (embryonic kidney), HCT-116 (colon), and A549 (lung) cell lines were used to evaluate cytotoxic characteristics using the MTT test. The extract was made with a variety of solvents and tested at different doses to assess dose-dependent effects. The results demonstrated that the cytotoxic effects were varied by the cell line, concentration, and extraction solvent. Notably, the extract's low IC₅₀ value demonstrated high cytotoxicity against the HCT-116 cell line. The mRNA expression levels of important apoptosis-related genes, specifically Bcl2, Bax, and p53, were quantitatively examined using qRT-PCR in human HepG2 and MCF-7 cancer cell lines in order to obtain additional understanding of apoptotic mechanisms. Gene expression was found to have decreased statistically significantly in HepG2 cells (p 0.0002 for Bcl2, p 0.0344 for Bax, and p 0.0035 for p53). All of these results suggest that the fruit extract of C. orientalis may have anticancer properties via influencing the expression of genes linked to apoptosis in cancer cells.