Abstract
BACKGROUND: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women worldwide, impacting not only the patients but also their families and communities. Tournefortia mutabilis vent. is a plant endemic to Mexico, traditionally used in Zapotec medicine for the treatment of cancer. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate the effects of the chloroformic extract of T. mutabilis vent. leaves on cell proliferation and cell death in MCF-7 cells. METHODS: The effect of the extract on MCF-7 cell proliferation was measured using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and crystal violet staining. Apoptosis was evaluated through fluorescein diacetate/propidium iodide staining and caspase-3, -6, and -9 activity assays. RESULTS: The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) of the T. mutabilis vent. extract on MCF-7 cell proliferation at 48 hours and 72 hours after treatment was 86.4 µg/mL and 2.74 µg/mL, respectively. We observed that the extract and its semi-purified fractions induced cell death through the activation of caspases 3, -6, and -9. CONCLUSIONS: Tournefortia mutabilis vent. is a potential source of compounds with antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic activities on the MCF-7 cell line, primarily through the intrinsic pathways of apoptosis.