Study on effects of resveratrol on apoptosis in MCF-7 cell line

Breast cancer today is the most common malignant tumor amongst women worldwide. It alone makes up the 30 % of all malignancies in women. Breast cancer is 3 times more common than the rest of all gynecological cancers. It is so presenting not just a major health problem for our modern society but also a significant social and economic dilemma. Being a major current socio-economical-medical problem to tackle, the disease has been a priority of research that aims the early diagnosis and more efficient treatment methods, in particular better chemotherapeutic agents. Various plant based chemicals are used in cancer therapy to prevent cell proliferation while triggering apoptosis. In the lights of existing knowledge and experience, our study aimed the evaluation of the selective cytotoxic effect of resveratrol, a polyphenolic phytonutrient agent, on MCF-7 type breast cancer cellsin an invitro environment. In our work we determined the dose of resveratrol by carrying out MTT analysis. MTT {3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide} assay, which was first used by Mosmann and further developed by Alley and collegues, is a practical test used to determine cell viability. The right dosaging of resveratrol was determined after MCF-7 cells were incubated with 100 and 250 µM of resveratrol for 12, 24 and 48 hours. We found that cell density decreased compared to the control group in increasing concentrations of resveratrol. MTT analysis helped us identify the cytotoxic concentration of resveratrol that decreases the absorbance of cells by 50% (IC50) compared to the control group. Different incubation times led to different cytotoxic doses such as 250-500 µM, 100-250 µM, 100 µM after 12, 24 and 48 hours, respectively. When the Annexin V Flow-Cytometry results are taken into consideration, it was observed that resveratrol concentrations between 100- 250 µM increased apoptosis in MCF-7 cells compared to the control group. Especially after 48 hours percentage of apoptosis was shown to be significantly higher compared to the control group. According to our results resveratrol significantly increased apoptosis and reduced proliferation in vitro compared to the control group. Structural changes were observed and documented with a phase contrast microscope. In conclusion, resveratrol was shown to have anticancer properties such as triggering early apoptosis via a time and dosage dependent manner in MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Key words: MCF-7, Anneksin V, Apoptosis, Resveratrol