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Journals / Balıkesir Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi / 2026 / Volume: 15 Issue: 1

Anticancer and Antioxidant Potential of Whey Protein in Ovarian Cancer Cells

Whey Proteinin Over Kanser Hücresinde Antikanser ve Antioksidan Potansiyeli

İlhan Sabancılar(Bitlis Eren Üniversitesi SHMYO)0000-0002-0773-2752
Murat Yolcu(DICLE UNIVERSITY)0000-0003-3067-8755
Zeynep Erdoğmuş Özgen(DICLE UNIVERSITY)0000-0001-6607-836X
Elif Sumer(BITLIS EREN UNIVERSITY)0009-0001-7324-9160
Helin Mercan(BITLIS EREN UNIVERSITY)0009-0009-2882-0418
İsmail Yener(DICLE UNIVERSITY)0000-0002-0988-9462
Pages
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Publication Date
2026-02-28
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AI Summary & Key Takeaways

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

The findings suggest that whey protein isolate may warrant further investigation to better understand its potential effects on cancer and normal cells in the context of antioxidant and anticancer research.

📌 3 Key Takeaways

🎯
Objective & Hypothesis:Objective: Ovarian cancer remains one of the leading causes of mortality among gynecological malignancies.
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Key Findings & Data:The OVCAR-3 cell line is commonly used as an in-vitro model in studies investigating ovarian cancer pathogenesis and therapeutic strategies.
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Conclusion & Impact:The findings suggest that whey protein isolate may warrant further investigation to better understand its potential effects on cancer and normal cells in the context of antioxidant and anticancer research.
🔬Design:Modeling & Simulation
📍Scope:Comprehensive Sample
⚙️Variables:Anticarcinogen · Antioxidant · MTT

Abstract

Objective: Ovarian cancer remains one of the leading causes of mortality among gynecological malignancies. The OVCAR-3 cell line is commonly used as an in-vitro model in studies investigating ovarian cancer pathogenesis and therapeutic strategies. This study aimed to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of whey protein isolate using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and its antioxidant capacity using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical scavenging method. Materials and Methods: Buffalo milk was collected from the Guroymak district of Bitlis Province. Whey protein isolate was obtained and subsequently analyzed for antioxidant activity using the DPPH assay. Its anticancer effects were assessed on OVCAR-3 and HUVEC cell lines using the MTT assay. Experimental conditions included eight different concentrations (9.75, 19.50, 39, 78, 156, 312, and 624 µg/mL) together with a negative control group, and treatments were applied for 24 and 48 hours. Results: According to MTT analysis, the highest concentration (624 μg/mL) induced 18.54% cytotoxicity at 24 hours and 41.12% at 48 hours in OVCAR-3 cells (GraphPad analysis). A significant positive correlation was observed between buffalo milk and the resulting whey protein isolate (R² = 0.871, p < 0.05). The DPPH assay demonstrated that whey protein isolated from buffalo milk exhibited notable antioxidant activity, with an IC₅₀ value of 93.64 μg/mL. Conclusion: In this study, whey protein isolate demonstrated measurable antioxidant activity and affected the viability of OVCAR-3 ovarian cancer cells in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The findings suggest that whey protein isolate may warrant further investigation to better understand its potential effects on cancer and normal cells in the context of antioxidant and anticancer research.

Özet

Amaç: Over kanseri, jinekolojik maligniteler arasında mortalitenin başlıca nedenlerinden biri olmaya devam etmektedir. OVCAR-3 hücre hattı, over kanserinin patogenezi ve tedavi stratejilerinin araştırılmasında yaygın olarak kullanılan bir in-vitro modeldir. Bu çalışmada peynir altı suyu izolatının sitotoksik etkileri 3-(4,5-dimetiltiazol-2-il)-2,5-difeniltetrazolyum bromür (MTT) testi kullanılarak, antioksidan kapasitesi ise 2,2-difenil-1-pikrilhidrazil (DPPH) serbest radikal süpürme yöntemi ile değerlendirilmiştir. Gereç ve Yöntem: Bitlis ili Güroymak ilçesinden manda sütü temin edilmiştir. Elde edilen peynir altı suyu proteini izolatının antioksidan aktivitesi DPPH analiz yöntemiyle değerlendirilmiştir. Antikanser etkileri ise OVCAR-3 ve HUVEC hücre hatlarında MTT testi kullanılarak analiz edilmiştir. Deneysel koşullar kapsamında negatif kontrol grubu ile birlikte 9.75, 19.50, 39, 78, 156, 312 ve 624 μg/mL olmak üzere sekiz farklı konsantrasyon kullanılarak 24 ve 48 saatlik uygulamalar gerçekleştirilmiştir. Bulgular: MTT analizine göre, en yüksek konsantrasyon olan 624 μg/mL dozunda OVCAR-3 hücrelerinde 24. saatte %18.54 ve 48. saatte %41.12 oranında sitotoksisite oluşmuştur (GraphPad analizi). Manda sütü ile elde edilen peynir altı suyu proteini izolatı arasında anlamlı ve pozitif bir korelasyon belirlenmiştir (R² = 0.871, p < 0.05). DPPH analizine göre, manda sütünden elde edilen peynir altı suyu proteini belirgin bir antioksidan aktivite göstermiştir ve IC₅₀ değeri 93.64 μg/mL olarak tespit edilmiştir. Sonuç: Bu çalışmada, peynir altı suyu izolatının ölçülebilir antioksidan aktivite gösterdiği ve OVCAR-3 over kanseri hücrelerinin canlılığını doz ve süreye bağlı olarak etkilediği gözlemlenmiştir. Elde edilen bulgular, peynir altı suyu izolatının kanser ve normal hücreler üzerindeki potansiyel etkilerinin daha ayrıntılı olarak incelenmesinin uygun olabileceğini düşündürmektedir.

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Cite This Article

Sabancılar, İ., Yolcu, M., Özgen, Z. E., Sumer, E., Mercan, H., Yener, İ. (2026). Anticancer and Antioxidant Potential of Whey Protein in Ovarian Cancer Cells. Balıkesir Sağlık Bilimleri Dergisi, Volume: 15 Issue: 1. https://doi.org/10.53424/balikesirsbd.1766756

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