Article · Volume 13, Issue 51 · pp. 345–350

Anticancer Potential of Steviol in MCF-7 Human Breast Cancer Cells

Ena Gupta¹, Shweta Kaushik², Shalini Purwar¹, Ramesh Sharma², Anil K. Balapure², Shanthy Sundaram¹

¹Centre of Biotechnology, University of Allahabad, Allahabad, India.
²Division of Biochemistry, Central Drug Research Institute, Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, India.

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the cytotoxicity, apoptosis induction, and mechanism of action of steviol on human breast cancer cells (Michigan Cancer Foundation‑7 [MCF‑7]).Materials and Methods: Sulforhodamine‑B assay was performed to analyze cytotoxic potential of Steviol whereas flow cytometer was used to analyze cell cycle, apoptosis, and reactive oxygen species generation.Results: Studying the viability of cells confirms the IC50 of Steviol in MCF‑7 cells which was 185 µM. The data obtained from fluorescence‑activated cell sorter analysis reveal Steviol‑mediated G2/M‑phase arrest (P < 0.05) in addition to the presence of evident sub‑G0/G1 peak (P < 0.05) in the MCF‑7 cells, signifying the ongoing apoptosis.Conclusion: Thus, results suggest that induction of apoptosis in MCF‑7 cells was due to dose‑dependent effect of Steviol. Our first in vitro findings indicate Steviol as a promising candidate for the treatment of breast cancer.

Keywords: Apoptosis; Michigan Cancer Foundation‑7; Stevia rebaudiana; Steviol

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