Levisticum Officinale Extract Triggers Apoptosis and Down-Regulates ZNF703 Gene Expression in Breast Cancer Cell Lines

Studies have shown that zinc finger protein 703 (ZNF703) is overexpressed in breast cancer. Levisticum (L.) officinale is a herbal plant with proven medical characteristics in traditional medicine. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effect of hydroalcoholic extract of L. officinale (HELO) on both estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) and -negative (ER-) cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-468, respectively).

The anti-proliferative and apoptotic activities of HELO were investigated on both cell lines using MTT and flow-cytometry methods. Real-time PCR was employed to determinate the changes in mRNA expression of the ZNF703 gene.

The 50% maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50s) of HELO on ER+ and ER- cells were 200 and 150 µg/mL after 48 h-treatment. Statistically significant increases in both early and late apoptosis rates were seen in exposed cell lines. ZNF703 expression was less from 4 to 24 h HELO treatment than in untreated cells, and ZNF703 expression was higher in the more invasive MDA-MB-468 cells than in the less invasive MCF-7 cells. Our results demonstrated that HELO induces apoptosis and decreases cell growth in both cell lines.

Our data suggest that HELO alters the mRNA levels of ZNF703 gene while inducing apoptotic cell death in breast cancer-derived cell lines. The use of ZNF703 suppression can be considered as a beneficial target in breast cancer research.