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Journals / Balıkesir Üniversitesi Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü Dergisi / 2026 / Cilt: 28 Sayı: 2

Natural induction of apoptosis: the potential role of Althaea officinalis L. in breast cancer treatment

Apoptozisin doğal indüksiyonu: Althaea officinalis L.'nin meme kanseri tedavisindeki potansiyel rolü

Derya Okuyan(Bandırma Onyedi Eylül Üniversitesi)0000-0001-6758-8556
Ayla Solmaz Avcıkurt(BALIKESİR ÜNİVERSİTESİ, TIP FAKÜLTESİ)0000-0002-1521-7152
Muhammed Enes Bulut(BALIKESİR ÜNİVERSİTESİ, TIP FAKÜLTESİ)0000-0002-7659-1498
Pages
588–601
Publication Date
2026-07-31
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

AI Insight
⚡ TL;DR(Too Long; Didn't Read)

According to the results, the IC50 doses were determined to be 837.83 µg/mL, 1.51 mg/mL, and 235.84 µg/mL at 24, 48, and 72 hours, respectively.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy are the most commonly used methods in the treatment of breast cancer.
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Key Findings & Data:Therefore, in this study, we determined the dose- and time-dependent effects of the aqueous extract of Althaea officinalis flowers on viability and apoptosis-related genes in the MCF-7 cell line.
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Conclusion & Impact:According to the results, the IC50 doses were determined to be 837.83 µg/mL, 1.51 mg/mL, and 235.84 µg/mL at 24, 48, and 72 hours, respectively.
🔬Design:Araştırma Makalesi
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Althaea officinalis L. · meme kanseri · MCF-7

Abstract

Surgery, chemotherapy, and radiotherapy are the most commonly used methods in the treatment of breast cancer. However, due to the side effects of these treatments, symptoms are quite aggressive and painful. Therefore, herbal treatments have become prominent. No studies have been conducted on the aqueous extract of Althaea officinalis L, a plant noted for its immunomodulatory, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antitussive, antiviral, and hypoglycemic bioactivities. Therefore, in this study, we determined the dose- and time-dependent effects of the aqueous extract of Althaea officinalis flowers on viability and apoptosis-related genes in the MCF-7 cell line. To examine the effect of Althaea officinalis L. on cell viability, different concentrations of Althaea officinalis L. were applied to MCF-7 cells and analyzed at different time intervals (24, 48, and 72 hours) using the MTT method. Additionally, to determine the effect of cytotoxic doses on cell death at each hour, changes in gene expression levels of apoptosis-related genes Caspase-3, Bax and, Bcl-2 were determined by qRT-PCR. According to the results, the IC50 doses were determined to be 837.83 µg/mL, 1.51 mg/mL, and 235.84 µg/mL at 24, 48, and 72 hours, respectively. The mRNA expression levels of Caspase-3, Bax and, Bcl-2 genes involved in the apoptotic process were analyzed by qPCR. It was determined that Bcl-2 gene expression decreased, while Bax and Caspase-3 expression levels increased. The anti-cancer properties of Althaea officinalis L. became notable due to the cytotoxic effect of its aqueous extract on MCF-7 cells and its induction of apoptosis.

Özet

Meme kanserinin tedavisinde cerrahi, kemoterapi ve radyoterapi en sık kullanılan yöntemlerdir. Ancak, bu uygulamaların yan etkileri nedeniyle semptomlar oldukça agresif ve ağrılıdır. Bu nedenle bitkisel tedavi ön plana çıkmıştır. Antimikrobiyal, antiviral, antienflamatuar, antioksidan, öksürük kesici, immünomodülatör ve hipoglisemik biyoaktiviteleri ile dikkat çeken bir bitki olan Althaea officinalis çiçeklerinin sulu ekstresi üzerinde herhangi bir çalışma yapılmamıştır. Bu nedenle, bu çalışmada, Althaea officinalis çiçeklerinin sulu ekstresinin MCF-7 hücre hattında canlılık ve apoptozla ilişkili genler üzerindeki doz ve zamana bağlı etkilerini belirledik. Althaea officinalis L.'nin hücre canlılığı üzerindeki etkisini incelemek amacıyla, MCF-7 hücrelerine farklı konsantrasyonlarda Althaea officinalis L. uygulanmış ve farklı zaman aralıklarında (24, 48, 72 saat) MTT yöntemi ile analiz edilmiştir. Ek olarak, sitotoksik dozların hücre ölümü üzerindeki etkisini her saatte belirlemek için, apoptozla ilişkili genler olan Bcl-2, Bax ve kaspaz-3'ün gen ekspresyon seviyelerindeki değişimler qRT-PCR ile belirlendi. Sonuçlara göre, IC50 dozları 24, 48 ve 72. saatlerde sırasıyla 837,83 µg/mL, 1,51 mg/mL ve 235,84 µg/mL olarak belirlendi. Apoptotik süreçte rol oynayan Bcl-2, Bax ve Kaspaz-3 genlerinin mRNA ekspresyon düzeyleri qPCR ile analiz edildi. Bcl-2 gen ekspresyonunun azaldığı, Bax ve Kaspaz-3 ekspresyon düzeylerinin ise arttığı belirlendi. Althaea officinalis L.'nin kanser karşıtı özellikleri, sulu ekstresinin MCF-7 hücreleri üzerinde sitotoksik etkiye sahip olması ve apoptozu indüklemesiyle dikkat çekici hale gelmiştir.

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Cite This Article

Okuyan, D., Avcıkurt, A. S., Bulut, M. E. (2026). Natural induction of apoptosis: the potential role of Althaea officinalis L. in breast cancer treatment. Balıkesir Üniversitesi Fen Bilimleri Enstitüsü Dergisi, Cilt: 28 Sayı: 2, 588–601. https://doi.org/10.25092/baunfbed.1832544

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