Sour black mulberry (Morus nigra L.) causes cell death by decreasing mutant p53 expression in HT-29 human colon cancer cells

Abstract

Cancer is an important health problem and obtaining new information about the treatment of this disease is an important gain. Morus nigra L. (black mulberry) is an important medical plant in Asia and Europe and has an important place in food and folk medicine. The present study aimed to determine the anti-cancer effect of sour black mulberry on human colon cancer cell (HT-29). In the current investigation, total phenols and flavonoids contents and antioxidant activity of plant extract were quantified by Folin–Ciocalteu's, AlCl3 and DPPH methods, respectively. The anti-cancer effects of the M. nigra on HT-29 cells were determined by cytotoxic, genotoxic, and molecular analyses. The phenolic content of M. nigra was determined as 192.67 ± 5.15 mg/g and the total flavonoid level to 125.86 ± 1.72 mg/g and exhibited a strong DPPH inhibition effect. Plant extract significantly increased DNA damage and reduced cell viability. It was determined that M. nigra application caused an increase in Bax/Bcl-2 levels and a decrease in p53 and procaspase-3 levels. These results indicate that M. nigra mediates cell death in a caspase-3 independent pathway by decreasing mutant p53 expression in HT-29 cells.