Suppressive Potential of Rosmarinus officinalis L. Extract against Triple-Negative and Luminal A Breast Cancer

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Kamran Eghbalpour 1
Nahid Eghbalpour 1
Saideh Khademi 2
Laleh Arzi 3
1 Department of Biology, Shahr-e-Qods Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
2 Department of Biology, Shahr-e-Qods Branch, IslKhademiamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
3 Department of Microbiology, Shahr-e-Qods Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran.
10.22088/IJMCM.BUMS.13.2.198
Abstract
Rosemary is an aromatic plant with ancient and modern applications as a spice and herbal remedy.
Due to the strong antioxidant potential of rosemary, the present study investigated the anti-
proliferative and pro-apoptotic characteristics of rosemary on luminal A and triple-negative breast
cancer cells. The effect of rosemary extract on the WNT10B and β-Catenin genes was also
evaluated. The WNT10B and β-Catenin expression were measured by real-time PCR. The
outcomes of the MTT assay and AnnexinV/PI flow cytometry assay showed that exposure of MCF-
7 and MDA-MB-231 cells to rosemary reduced cell viability in a dose-time-dependent routine and
promoted apoptosis in breast cancer cells. It was revealed that the extract could exert cytotoxic and
apoptotic effects by downregulation of WNT10B and β-Catenin. Our results suggest rosemary as a
promising complementary herbal medicine for breast cancers, without the adverse effects of
chemotherapy drugs.

Keywords
Rosmarinus officinalis, luminal A, triple-negative breast cancer, anti-proliferative, pro-apoptotic, Wnt/ β-catenin