Antitumor effects of emodin on LS1034 human colon cancer cells in vitro and in vivo: Roles of apoptotic cell death and LS1034 tumor xenografts model

Emodin, an active natural anthraquinone derivative, is found in the roots and rhizomes of numerous Chinese medicinal herbs and exhibits anticancer effects on many types of human cancer cell lines. The aim of this study investigated that emodin induced apoptosis of human colon cancer cells (LS1034) in vitro and inhibited tumor nude mice xenografts bearing LS1034 in vivo. In in vitro study, emodin induced cell morphological changes, decreased the percentage of viability, induced G2/M phase arrest and increased ROS and Ca²⁺ productions as well as loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨ_m) in LS1034 cells. Emodin-triggered apoptosis was also confirmed by DAPI staining and these effects are concentration-dependent. Western blot analysis indicated that the protein levels of cytochrome c, caspase-9 and the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 were increased in LS1034 cells after emodin exposure. Emodin induced the productions of ROS and Ca²⁺ release, and altered anti- and pro-apoptotic proteins, leading to mitochondrial dysfunction and activations of caspase-9 and caspase-3 for causing cell apoptosis. In in vivo study, emodin effectively suppressed tumor growth in tumor nude mice xenografts bearing LS1034. Overall, the potent in vitro and in vivo antitumor activities of emodin suggest that it might be developed for treatment of colon cancer in the future.     

Cytotoxicity,cell cycle arrest,and apoptosis in breast cancer cell lines exposed to an extract of the seed kernel of Mangifera pajang (bambangan)

An extract of Mangifera pajang kernel has been previously found to contain a high content of antioxidant phytochemicals. The present research was conducted to investigate the anticancer potential of this kernel extract. The results showed that the kernel crude extract induced cytotoxicity in MCF-7 (hormone-dependent breast cancer) cells and MDA-MB-231 (non-hormone dependent breast cancer) cells with IC50 values of 23 and 30.5 μg/ml, respectively. The kernel extract induced cell cycle arrest in MCF-7 cells at the sub-G1 (apoptosis) phase of the cell cycle in a time-dependent manner. For MDA-MB-231 cells, the kernel extract induced strong G2-M arrest in cell cycle progression at 24 h, resulting in substantial sub-G1 (apoptosis) arrest after 48 and 72 h of incubation. Staining with Annexin V-FITC and propidium iodide revealed that this apoptosis occurred early in both cell types, 36 h for MCF-7 cells and 24 h for MDA-MB-231cells, with 14.0% and 16.5% of the cells respectively undergoing apoptosis at these times. This apoptosis appeared to be dependent on caspase-2 and -3 in MCF-7 cells, and on caspase-2, -3 and -9 in MDA-MB-231 cells. These findings suggest that M. pajang kernel extract has potential as a potent cytotoxic agent against breast cancer cell lines.     

Macranthoside B,a hederagenin saponin extracted from Lonicera macranthoides and its anti-tumor activities in vitro and in vivo

Macranthoside B (MB) is a hederagenin saponin extracted from the flower bud of Lonicera macranthoides. In this study, we defined the anticancer effect of MB both in vitro and in vivo using cell proliferation assays and xenograft tumor growth assays. Our data indicate that MB inhibits the proliferation of various kinds of cancer cells with IC₅₀ values in the range of 10–20 μM. Moreover, the volume and weight of xenograft tumors in nude mice treated with 5 mg/kg MB were decreased remarkably compared to those of the vehicle control group. Furthermore, DAPI staining and flow cytometry analysis with Annexin V/PI double staining revealed that more apoptotic cells were observed following MB treatment. In addition, degradation of PARP (poly-ADP-ribose polymerase), and activation of the caspase cascade for intrinsic pathways were observed. We also found that the expression of Bcl-2 protein decreased and the protein level of Bax increased which leading to an increase of the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. Our results showed that MB exhibited strong anti-tumor effect and mitochondrion-mediated apoptosis induction involved in it.     

c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase-induced proteasomal degradation of c-FLIPL/S and Bcl2 sensitize prostate cancer cells to Fas- and mitochondria-mediated apoptosis by tetrandrine

Tetrandrine, a constituent of Chinese herb Stephania tetrandra, causes cell death in prostate cancer, but the molecular mechanisms leading to apoptosis is not known. Here we demonstrated that tetrandrine selectively inhibits the growth of prostate cancer PC3 and DU145 cells compared to normal prostate epithelial PWR-1E cells. Tetrandrine-induced cell death in prostate cancer cells is caused by reactive oxygen species (ROS)-mediated activation of c-Jun NH₂-terminal kinase (JNK1/2). JNK1/2-mediated proteasomal degradation of c-FLIP_L/S and Bcl₂ proteins are key events in the sensitization of prostate cancer cells to Fas- and mitochondria-mediated apoptosis by tetrandrine. Tetrandrine-induced JNK1/2 activation caused the translocation of Bax to mitochondria by disrupting its association with Bcl₂ which was accompanied by collapse of mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), cytosolic release of cytochrome c and Smac, and apoptotic cell death. Additionally, tetrandrine-induced JNK1/2 activation increased the phosphorylation of Bcl₂ at Ser70 and facilitated its degradation via the ubiquitin-mediated proteasomal pathway. In parallel, tetrandrine-mediated ROS generation also caused the induction of ligand-independent Fas-mediated apoptosis by activating procaspase-8 and Bid cleavage. Inhibition of procaspase-8 activation attenuated the cleavage of Bid, loss of MMP and caspase-3 activation suggest that tetrandrine-induced Fas-mediated apoptosis is associated with the mitochondrial pathway. Furthermore, most of the signaling effects of tetrandrine on apoptosis were significantly attenuated in the presence of antioxidant N-acetyl-l-cysteine, thereby confirming the involvement of ROS in these events. In conclusion, the results of the present study indicate that tetrandrine-induced apoptosis in prostate cancer cells is initiated by ROS generation and that both intrinsic and extrinsic pathway contributes to cell death.     

Tualang honey induces apoptosis and disrupts the mitochondrial membrane potential of human breast and cervical cancer cell lines

Honey is reported to contain various compounds such as phenols, vitamins and antioxidants. The present study investigates the anticancer potential of Tualang honey (Agromas) (TH) in human breast (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231) and cervical (HeLa) cancer cell lines; as well as in the normal breast epithelial cell line, MCF-10A. The cells were treated with increasing doses of TH (1-10%) for up to 72 h. Increase in lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) leakage from the cell membranes indicates that TH is cytotoxic to all three cancer cells with effective concentrations (EC₅₀) of 2.4-2.8%. TH is however, not cytotoxic to the MCF-10A cells. Reactivity with annexin V fluorescence antibody and propidium iodide as analysed by flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy shows that apoptosis occurred in these cancer cells. TH also reduced the mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψ_m) in the cancer cell lines after 24 h of treatment. The activation of caspase-3/7 and -9 was observed in all TH-treated cancer cells indicating the involvement of mitochondrial apoptotic pathway. This study shows that TH has significant anticancer activity against human breast and cervical cancer cell lines.     

Ridaifen-SB8, a novel tamoxifen derivative,induces apoptosis via reactive oxygen species-dependent signaling pathway

Tamoxifen is an anticancer agent widely used for treatment of estrogen receptor (ERα)-positive breast cancer. We previously developed a novel synthesis of tamoxifen and its derivatives, named Ridaifens (RIDs). Some of them, including RID-SB8, exhibited a stronger anticancer activity than tamoxifen in ERα-positive MCF-7 cells while having lost the affinity for ERα, suggesting an ERα-independent anticancer mode of action. In this study, we investigated the underlying mechanism by which RID-SB8 exerts anticancer activity. As expected, anticancer activity of RID-SB8 was not influenced upon knockdown of ERα expression in MCF-7 cells. RID-SB8 exerted similar anticancer effects on thirteen ERα-negative cancer cell lines including human gliosarcoma SF539 cells. In SF539 cells, RID-SB8 triggered loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨ_m) and progression of apoptosis accompanied by activation of caspases and translocation of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) to the nucleus. Furthermore, it induced reactive oxygen species (ROS), and a ROS scavenger, N-acetylcysteine (NAC), canceled loss of ΔΨ_m and progression of apoptosis triggered by RID-SB8. Using fifteen human cancer cell lines, we demonstrated a significant correlation between RID-SB8 concentration required for ROS production and that required for cytotoxic effect across these cell lines, but such correlation was not observed for tamoxifen. Finally, the selective induction of ROS and cytotoxic effect on cancer cells by RID-SB8 were confirmed. From these results, we concluded that RID-SB8 exerts an anticancer effect via a mode of action distinct from tamoxifen, and that RID-SB8 could become a promising anticancer lead compound which selectively induces ROS formation and apoptosis in cancer cells.     

Antitumor activities of quercetin and quercetin-5′,8-disulfonate in human colon and breast cancer cell lines

This study is designed to compare the anticancer effects of quercetin and its water-soluble sulfated derivative, quercetin-5′,8-disulfonate (QS), in human colon cancer LoVo cells and breast cancer MCF-7 cells. It was found that both quercetin and QS can inhibit the growth of cancer cells in a dose-dependent manner, with the IC₅₀ values of 40.2 and 28.0 μM for LoVo cells and 30.8 and 19.9 μM for MCF-7 cells, respectively, suggesting QS was more effective against the cancer cells than quercetin. Moreover, flow cytometric assay revealed that quercetin and QS could mediate the cell-cycle arrest principally in the S phase after 24 h of treatment with the two tumor cells. It was also found that 69.6% of LoVo cells and 90.6% of MCF-7 cells entered the early phase of apoptosis when treated with 100 μM QS for 48 h. Furthermore, we firstly found the generation of ROS is a critical mediator in QS-induced cell growth inhibition. Taken together, the novel sulfated derivative of quercetin possesses strong antitumor activity via a ROS-dependent apoptosis pathway, and has the excellent potential to be developed into an antitumor precursor compound.     

Diallyl disulfide induces apoptosis in human colon cancer cell line (COLO 205) through the induction of reactive oxygen species,endoplasmic reticulum stress,caspases casade and mitochondrial-dependent pathways

In this study, we investigated the effects of DADS on human colon cancer cell line COLO 205 on cell cycle arrest and apoptosis in vitro. After 24 h treatment of COLO 205 cells with DADS, the dose- and time-dependent decreases of viable cells were observed and the IC₅₀ was 22.47 μM. The decreased percentages of viable cells are associated with the production of ROS. Treatment of COLO 205 cells with DADS resulted in G2/M phase arrest and apoptosis occurrence through the mitochondrial-pathway (Bcl-2, Bcl-xL down-regulation and Bak, Bax up-regulation). DADS increased cyclin B, cdc25c-ser-216-9 and Wee1 but did not affect CDK1 protein and gene expression within 24 h of treatment. DADS-induced apoptosis was examined and confirmed by DAPI staining and DNA fragmentation assay. DADS promoted caspase-3, -8 and -9 activity and induced apoptosis were accompanied by increasing the levels of Fas, phospho-Ask1 and -JNK, p53 and decreasing the mitochondrial membrane potential which then led to release the cytochrome c, cleavage of pro-caspase-9 and -3. The COLO 205 cells were pre-treated with JNK inhibitor before leading to decrease the percentage of apoptosis which was induced by DADS. Inhibition of caspase-3 activation blocked DADS-induced apoptosis on COLO 205 cells.     

Induction of apoptosis by cordycepin via reactive oxygen species generation in human leukemia cells

Cordycepin (3′-deoxyadenosin), a specific polyadenylation inhibitor, is the main functional component in Cordyceps militaris, one of the top three renowned traditional Chinese medicines. Cordycepin has been shown to possess many pharmacological activities including immunological stimulation, and anti-bacterial, anti-viral, and anti-tumor effects. However, the mechanisms underlying its anti-cancer mechanisms are not yet understood. In this study, the apoptotic effects of cordycepin were investigated in human leukemia cells. Treatment with cordycepin significantly inhibited cell growth in a concentration-dependent manner by inducing apoptosis but not necrosis. This induction was associated with generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial dysfunction, activation of caspases, and cleavage of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase protein. However, apoptosis induced by cordycepin was attenuated by caspase inhibitors, indicating an important role for caspases in cordycepin responses. Administration of N-acetyl-l-cysteine, a scavenger of ROS, also significantly inhibited cordycepin-induced apoptosis and activation of caspases. These results support a mechanism whereby cordycepin induces apoptosis of human leukemia cells through a signaling cascade involving a ROS-mediated caspase pathway.     

Induction of apoptosis by phloroglucinol derivative from Ecklonia Cava in MCF-7 human breast cancer cells

Phloroglucinol derivatives, dioxinodehydroeckol (1) and 1-(3′,5′-dihydroxyphenoxy)-7-(2′′,4′′,6-trihydroxyphenoxy)-2,4,9-trihydroxydibenzo-1,4-dioxin (2), were isolated from Ecklonia Cava. Their ability to inhibit the proliferation of human breast cancer cells were evaluated by measuring cell death via induction of apoptosis. Compound 1 exerted a higher anti-proliferative activity in human breast cancer cells compared with compound 2. Furthermore, compound 1 induced a significant proliferative inhibition and apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner on MCF-7 human cancer cells. Treatment with compound 1 also induced the increase in caspase (-3 and -9) activity, DNA repair enzyme poly-(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) cleavage, and pro-apoptotic gene and the decrease in anti-apoptotic gene. In addition, NF-κB family and -dependent activated genes were down-regulated by compound 1. These results indicated that the potential inhibitory effect of compound 1 against growth of MCF-7 human breast cancer cells might be associated with induction of apoptosis through NF-κB family and NF-κB dependent pathway. The present results suggest that compound 1 has a promising potential to be used as a valuable chemopreventive agent.     

25-Methoxyhispidol A, a novel triterpenoid of Poncirus trifoliata, inhibits cell growth via the modulation of EGFR/c-Src signaling pathway in MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells

The fruit of Poncirus trifoliata (Rutaceae) has been used a medicinal food and traditional medicine. Recently we reported the isolation of 25-methoxyhispidol A (25-MHA) as a novel triterpenoid from the immature fruit of P. trifoliata with the potential growth inhibition of cancer cells. However, the molecular mechanisms on the anti-proliferative activity in cancer cells remain to be elucidated. In the present study, we investigated the anti-proliferative activity and mechanisms of actions mediated by 25-MHA in estrogen receptor (ER)-negative MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cells. 25-MHA exhibited the growth inhibitory activity against MDA-MB-231 cells with the cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase. The cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 by 25-MHA was well correlated with the downregulation of cyclin D1, cyclin dependent kinase (CDK4), CDK2, cyclin A, phosphorylated retinoblastoma protein (pRb), and induction of cdk inhibitor p21^WAF1/Cip1 protein. 25-MHA also suppressed the activation of c-Src/epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR)/Akt signaling, and consequently led to the inactivation of mTOR and its downstream signal molecules including 4E-binding protein (4E-BP) and p70 S6 kinase. These findings suggest that 25-MHA-mediated inhibitory activity of human breast cancer cell growth might be related with the cell cycle arrest and modulation of signal transduction pathways.     

Codonopsis lanceolata extract induces G0/G1 arrest and apoptosis in human colon tumor HT-29 cells - Involvement of ROS generation and polyamine depletion

Codonopsis lanceolata (Campanulasea) is widely distributed and grown in Asia and has been in use as traditional medicine for long time. The n-butanol fraction (BF) of C. lanceolata significantly inhibited human colon cancer HT-29 cell growth in a dose- and time-dependent manner by inducing G0/G1 phase arrest and apoptosis. The inhibition was associated with intracellular ROS generation and polyamine depletion as evidenced by HPLC quantitatively. Additionally, semi-quantitative RT-PCR revealed enhanced expression of caspase-3, p53, and the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and reduced expression of survivin in HT-29 cells treated with BF. Furthermore, western blot analysis of p53, JNK, and caspase-3 showed that ROS generation was accompanied by JNK activation. Increase of the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and activation of caspase-3 might be due to intracellular polyamine depletion. Conclusively, the findings of this study imply a critical role of ROS and polyamine depletion in the anticancer effects of C. lanceolata root extract.     

Polyglutamic acid-based nanocomposites as efficient non-viral gene carriers in vitro and in vivo

A series of polyethylenimine (PEI) and γ-polyglutamic acid (PGA) nanocomposites (PPGA) was prepared and evaluated in terms of their cell viability and transfection efficiency in vitro and in vivo. On complexion with pDNA, the positively charged PPGA/DNA nanocomposites resulted in a higher level of in vitro reporter gene transfection (2.7-7.9-fold) as compared to native PEI, and selected commercial reagents and >95% cell viability in HEK293, HeLa and HepG2 cell lines. Further, PPGA-5 nanocomposite (the best working system in terms of transfection efficiency among the series) was found to efficiently transfect primary mouse keratinocytes up to 22% above the control level. PPGA-5, when tested for in vivo cytotoxicity in Drosophila, did not induce any stress in the exposed larvae in comparison with control. In vivo gene expression using PPGA-5 showed the highest transfection efficiency in spleen of mouse closely followed by heart tissues after intravenous injection through tail vein. Besides, these nanocomposites also delivered siRNA efficiently into mammalian cells, resulting in ∼80% suppression of EGFP expression. These results together demonstrated the potential of the projected nanocomposites for in vivo gene delivery.     

Injury effects of ginkgolide B on maturation of mouse oocytes,fertilization, and fetal development in vitro and in vivo

Ginkgolide B (GKB), the major active component of Ginkgo biloba extracts, exerts both stimulatory and inhibitory effects on apoptotic signaling. Previous studies by our group demonstrated that ginkgolide treatment of mouse blastocysts induces apoptosis, decreases cell number, hinders early postimplantation blastocyst development, and increases early-stage blastocyst death. Here, we further investigate the effects of GKB on oocyte maturation, and subsequent pre- and postimplantation development in vitro and in vivo. In our experiments, GKB induced a significant reduction in the rate of oocyte maturation, fertilization, and in vitro embryonic development. Treatment of oocytes with 1–6 μM GKB during in vitro maturation (IVM) led to increased resorption of postimplantation embryos and decreased placental and fetal weights. Data obtained using an in vivo mouse model further disclosed that consumption of drinking water containing 3–6 μM GKB led to decreased oocyte maturation and in vitro fertilization, as well as early embryo developmental injury, specifically, inhibition of development to the blastocyst stage in vivo. To our knowledge, this is the first study to investigate the impact of GKB on maturation of mouse oocytes, fertilization, and sequential embryonic development.     

Cellular and molecular mechanisms of bromate-induced cytotoxicity in human and rat kidney cells

The mechanisms of bromate (BrO₃⁻)-induced toxicity in Normal Rat Kidney (NRK) and human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells were investigated. BrO₃⁻ (added as KBrO₃) induced concentration-dependent decreases in 3-(4, dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) staining after 48 h. BrO₃⁻-induced necrosis based on tandem increases in annexin V and PI staining. Cell cycle analysis demonstrated that BrO₃⁻ also induced G2/M arrest and nuclear fragmentation, prior to alterations in MTT staining or annexin V and PI staining. Immunoblot analysis demonstrated that the G2/M arrest correlated to induction of phosphorylated (p)-p53, p21, cyclin B1 and p-cdc2. Further, BrO₃⁻ induced time-dependent increases in the activity of the mitogen activated protein kinases p38 and ERK1/2. Treatment of cells with the p38 inhibitor SB202190, but not the ERK1/2 inhibitor PD98059, partially reversed BrO₃⁻-induced G2/M arrest and decreased BrO₃⁻-induced p-p53, p21 and cyclin B1 expression. In addition, BrO₃⁻ treatment induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) based on increases in CM-H₂DCFDA fluorescence. The antioxidant ascorbic acid inhibited BrO₃⁻-induced p38 activation, G2/M arrest, p-p53, p21 and cyclin B1 expression; however, ascorbic acid had no effect on BrO₃⁻-induced formation of 8-OHdG, a marker of DNA oxidative damage, whose increases preceded cell death by 24 h. These data suggest that ROS mediated MAPK activation is involved in the molecular mechanisms of BrO₃⁻-induced cell cycle arrest, which occurs independently of 8-OH-dG production. The similar mode of action in both NRK and HEK293 cells suggests that the mechanisms of BrO₃⁻-induced renal cell death are model-independent.     

Design of curcumin-loaded PLGA nanoparticles formulation with enhanced cellular uptake, and increased bioactivity in vitro and superior bioavailability in vivo

Curcumin, a yellow pigment present in the spice turmeric (Curcuma longa), has been linked with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, antiproliferative, anticancer, antidiabetic, antirheumatic, and antiviral effects, but its optimum potential is limited by its lack of solubility in aqueous solvents and poor oral bioavailability. We employed a polymer-based nanoparticle approach to improve bioavailability. Curcumin was encapsulated with 97.5% efficiency in biodegradable nanoparticulate formulation based on poly (lactide-co-glycolide) (PLGA) and a stabilizer polyethylene glycol (PEG)-5000. Dynamic laser light scattering and transmission electron microscopy indicated a particle diameter of 80.9 nm. This curcumin, renamed from hereon “as curcumin (NP)”, was characterized for its biological activity. In vitro curcumin (NP) exhibited very rapid and more efficient cellular uptake than curcumin. Estrase staining revealed that curcumin (NP) was at least as potent as or more potent than curcumin in inducing apoptosis of leukemic cells and in suppressing proliferation of various tumor cell lines. When examined by electrophoretic gel shift mobility assay, curcumin (NP) was more active than curcumin in inhibiting TNF-induced NF-κB activation and in suppression of NF-κB-regulated proteins involved in cell proliferation (cyclin D1), invasion (MMP-9), and angiogenesis (VEGF). In mice, curcumin (NP) was more bioavailable and had a longer half-life than curcumin. Overall we demonstrate that curcumin-loaded PLGA nanoparticles formulation has enhanced cellular uptake, and increased bioactivity in vitro and superior bioavailability in vivo over curcumin.     

The role of reactive oxygen species in WP 631-induced death of human ovarian cancer cells: A comparison with the effect of doxorubicin

In the present study, we investigated the anticancer activity of WP 631, a new anthracycline analog, in weakly doxorubicin-resistant SKOV-3 ovarian cancer cells. We studied the time-course of apoptotic and necrotic events: the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and changes in the mitochondrial membrane potential in human ovarian cancer cells exposed to WP 631 in the presence and absence of an antioxidant, N-acetylcysteine (NAC). The effect of WP 631 was compared with the activity of doxorubicin (DOX), the best known first-generation anthracycline.Cytotoxic activity was determined by the MTT assay. The morphological changes characteristic of apoptosis and necrosis in drug-treated cells were analyzed by double staining with Hoechst 33258 and propidium iodide (PI) using fluorescence microscopy. The production of reactive oxygen species and changes in mitochondrial membrane potential were studied using specific fluorescence probes: DCFH₂-DA and JC-1, respectively.The experiments showed that WP 631 was three times more cytotoxic than DOX in the tested cell line. It was found that the new anthracycline analog induced mainly apoptosis and, marginally, necrosis. Apoptotic cell death was associated with morphological changes and a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential. In comparison to DOX, the novel bisanthracycline induced a significantly higher level of ROS and a greater drop in the membrane potential.The results provide direct evidence that the novel anthracycline WP 631 is considerably more cytotoxic to human SKOV-3 ovarian cancer cells than doxorubicin. The drug can produce ROS, which are immediately involved in the induction of apoptotic cell death.     

Anastatica hierochuntica (L.) methanolic and aqueous extracts exert antiproliferative effects through the induction of apoptosis in MCF-7 breast cancer cells

Breast cancer therapy using anticancer bioactive compounds derived from natural products as adjuvant treatment has gained recognition due to expensive and toxic conventional chemotherapeutic drugs. The whole plant of Anastatica hierochuntica (L.) (A. hierochuntica) has been investigated for its pharmacologically important anticancer properties but without categorizing the biological activities of the plant parts. We assessed the anticancer potential of different parts of A. hierochuntica (seeds, stems and leaves) and explored their mechanisms of action using the human breast cancer cell line, MCF-7. Currently, we investigated the antiproliferative effects of methanolic (MSD, MST, ML) and aqueous (ASD, AST, AL) extracts of A. hierochuntica plant parts on the MCF-7 cells using cell viability assays. Flow cytometry, Western Blot, DNA fragmentation, and gene expression assays were performed to evaluate apoptosis and cell cycle regulatory proteins. The results indicate that the methanolic and aqueous extracts decreased MCF-7 cell viability in a dose-dependent manner. The induction of apoptosis was observed in all the methanolic and aqueous-treated MCF-7 cells. The cell death process was confirmed by the visualization of DNA fragmentation and cleavage of the intrinsic apoptotic pathways, caspase-9 and caspase-3, the key enzyme causing apoptosis hallmarks. In addition, the most pro-apoptotic extracts, ASD and ML, up-regulated the expression of pro-apoptotic Bax, tumor suppressor TP53 genes and the cyclin inhibitor CDKN1A gene. In conclusion, of the aqueous and methanolic extracts of A. hierochuntica plant parts exerting antiproliferative effects through the induction of apoptosis in breast cancer MCF-7 cells, ASD and ML extracts were the most promising natural-based drugs for the treatment of breast cancer.