Galbanic acid: Induced antiproliferation in estrogen receptor-negative breast cancer cells and enhanced cellular redox state in the human dermal fibroblasts.

Abstract

Galbanic acid (GA) is a natural bioactive compound abundantly distributed in Ferula species (Apiaceae), with a wide range of biological functions. The present study investigated the anticancer properties of GA in human breast carcinoma MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines using MTT (3,4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. Further, the antioxidant activity of GA was determined in vitro. The plausible mechanisms of action of GA were further investigated using flow cytometry and gene expression analysis. Our study indicated that treatment with GA resulted in inhibition of proliferation and induction of apoptosis in MDA-MB-231 cells. The obtained results indicated that GA has strong cytotoxicity on MDA-MB-231 cells (IC50 = 48.75 µg/mL) compare to MCF-7 (IC50 = 56.65 µg/mL) and decrease cancer cell viability in the dose- and time-dependent manner. Meanwhile, microscopic examination and flow cytometry analysis confirmed the apoptosis cell death upon treatment with GA. The gene expression analysis revealed that GA could induce apoptosis-mediated proliferation inhibition in MDA-MB-231 cells through upregulation of bax and caspase-3 and downregulation of bcl2 genes. Besides, the GA exhibited free radical-scavenging activity and enhanced the cellular redox state in human dermal fibroblasts. The elevation of cellular redox status was confirmed by upregulating superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase genes. The results obtained in this study indicated that GA could be considered as a promising anticancer agent in breast cancer therapy and a bioactive antioxidant compound to be used in pharmaceutical and cosmetic industries.