High concentration of paclitaxel induces partial inhibition and cell death in the human breast cancer cell line mcf-7in-vitro

الملخص EN

Purpose : cancer remains one of the most common causes of death and thus one of the goals of cancer research has been and continues to be, the discovery of natural and synthetic products for cancer prevention and for treatment.

For time immemorial, plants played a dominant role in the treatment of human ailment.

Therefore, in the present study we examined the in vitro effect of paclitaxel on the growth rate and morphology of the human mammary tumor cell line (MCF-7).

Material and Methods : MCF-7 cells were counted and cultured under aseptic conditions.

Paclitaxel was added to cultured cells at different concentrations, 0.5, 2, 5, 7 and 10 µg / ml.

Both treated and untreated cells were harvested and tested for viability.

Apoptosis was detected by using DAPI fluorescent dye and DNA fragmentation assay.

Results : our results showed that paclitaxel at a concentration of 5µg/ml inhibited in vitro tumor growth significantly within a period of 48 hours Microscopic examination of the cell morphology as well as nuclear staining revealed that the paclitaxel treated-cells suffered dramatically from membrane swelling, disruption and nuclear fragmentation.

Conclusion : Necrosis and apoptosis seem to be the underlying mechanisms by which paclitaxel affect human mammary tumor cells in vitro.