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Anticancer effects of apigenin in human breast cancer cells

Apigenin is a dietary flavonoid found in several types of vegetables and fruits. Its potential anticancer properties were investigated in two types of human breast cancer cells: ER-positive MCF-7 and triple-negative MDA MB-231 cells. Human peripheral blood lymphocytes were used to elucidate the apigenin’s toxicological safety regarding the normal cells. MTT, comet and lipid peroxidation assays were used to evaluate cyto- and genotoxicity of apigenin towards cancer cells. Furthermore, the type of apigenin-induced cell death was analysed using several biomarkers. Our results revealed that the treatment with apigenin caused changes in cell morphology, in a dose- and time-dependent manner. This was followed with apoptosis as a dominant type of cell death in both cell lines. Moreover, apigenin exhibited genotoxicity towards cancer cells by inducing oxidative damage. Importantly, cell viability and comet assays showed that apigenin was not cytogenotoxic to normal cells. The observed anticancer activities of apigenin accompanied by its low toxicity towards normal cells indicate the possibility of using this dietary flavonoid as an anticancer agent. Even though the beneficial effects of apigenin are promising, further in vitro and in vivo studies are needed to enable its translation from bench to bedside.

apigenin ; breast cancer ; apoptosis ; DNA damage

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