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Saravani R, Sargazi S, Rabbani M, Saravani R. Evaluation of VEGF gene expression levels and induction of apoptosis in crocin-treated MCF-7 breast cancer cells . JSSU 2019; 26 (10) :845-856
URL: http://jssu.ssu.ac.ir/article-1-4696-en.html

Introdution: Targeting vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is considered as a therapeutic goal in solid tumors; especially breast cancer. The use of drugs with natural compounds in the treatment of cancer is increasing because of exerting no adverse effects in normal cells. Crocin, as the main component of saffron, has been proved to have different biological activities on various types of malignancies. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of crocin on growth inhibition, induction of apoptosis and expression of VEGF in MCF-7 breast cancer cell line.
Methods: In this interventional study, MTT cytotoxic assay was performed to evaluate the cell death-inducing effects of crocin on MCF-7 cells growth at different concentrations ranging from 0 to 8 mg/mL for 24 to 48 hours. Annexin V/PI staining and realtime-PCR assay were used in order to determine the type of cell death and assess the changes in the expression pattern of VEGF gene, respectively. The nonparametric ANOVA test was applied for data analysis via SPSS software version 16 where p-value less than 0.05 were regarded statistically significant.
Results: Compared to untreated cells, crocin-treated MCF-7 cells demonstrated a significant decrease in growth at 24 and 48 hours in a dose- and time-dependent manner. Results of Flow-cytometry showed an increase in the percentage of apoptotic cells coincident with increased crocin concentration. Also, decreased expression of the VEGF in a time-dependent manner was observed p<0.05).
Conclusion: The results indicated that crocin induces marked apoptosis in a time-dependent manner while reducing the expression of VEGF in MCF-7 cells. More studies are required to confirm the efficacy of crocin as an anti-tumor agent for cancer therapies.