PO-408 Methanol extract of holothuria scabra inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis in T47D breast cancer cells

Abstract

IntroductionBreast cancer remains a major public health burden. Low efficacy, low safety and side-effects of some cancer drugs have increased the research interest for new anti-cancer drugs, particularly from natural products. Sea cucumber as one of marine organisms contains numerous bioactive compounds which have anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. This study was designed to investigate the anti-cancer potential of methanol extract of sea cucumber Holothuria scabra on T47D breast cancer cell line.Material and methodsThe growth inhibition of methanol extract of Holothuria scabra towards T47D cells was evaluated by the WST-1 (4-[3-(4-iodophenyl)−2-(4-nitrophenyl)−2H-5-tetrazolio]−1,3-benzene disulfonate) test. The effect of methanol extract of Holothuria scabra on apoptosis of T47D cells was determined by Annexin V-Propidium Iodide apoptosis assay using flow cytometry. Data analysis was done using the software CellQuestPro.Results and discussionsOur study results demonstrated that the methanol extract of Holothuria scabra exhibited cytotoxic activity through inhibiting the growth of T47D cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner, start from 50 µg/mL until 500 µg/mL, with IC50 value of 152.98 µg/mL. The methanol extract of Holothuria scabra was able to stimulate 99% cancer cells to undergo apoptosis. This data warrant for further investigation on that apoptotic mechanism. The investigation is important to support cancer therapeutical strategies that focus on inducing cell death to overcome apoptosis resistance, one of the most important hallmark of cancer.ConclusionThe methanol extract of Holothuria scabra contains a promising anti-cancer agent that possesses cytotoxic and apoptotic effects on breast cancer cells.