The effect of Euphorbia szovitsii Fisch. & C.A.Mey extract on the viability and the proliferation of MDA-MB-231 cell line.

The aim of this study was to determine the anticancer effects of Euphorbia szovitsii Fisch. & C.A.Mey. on the breast cancer cells to reveal the underlying mechanism of its anti-breast cancer properties. In this experimental study, triple negative breast cancer cell line (MDA-MB-231) was cultivated in RPMI 1640 medium. Hydroalcoholic extract (70:30) of aerial parts of the plant was prepared. The cultured cells were treated with different concentrations (0-1000 μg/ml) of E. szovitsii extract for 24 and 48 hours. Toxicity of the extract on MDA-MB-231 cells was examined using MTT (3-[4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl]-2, 5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) test. The Annexin V-FITC Apoptosis Detection Kit was used to evaluate apoptosis and necrosis. Flow cytometry technique was employed to differentiate different phases of the cell cycle in the cells. Data were analyzed by GraphPad Prism and SPSS software. After 24 and 48h, the IC50 values were respectively 76.78 (95% CI=60.75 to 97.05; R=0.8588) and 59.71 (95% CI=46.25 to 77.09; R=0.8543) μg/ml for E. szovitsii, The extract exhibited antiproliferative effects against MDA-MB-231 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Annexin V-FITC/PI assay confirmed that the extract was able to induce apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 cells. Moreover, treatment with the extract resulted in cell cycle arrest at G1 phase. Therefore, E. szovitsii could induce apoptosis and arrest cycle arrest in the MDA-MB-231 cell line. It might be a good resource of natural products for producing anti-breast cancer drugs.