Abstract
Background Heliotropium bacciferum, often known as wild heliotrope or wild quailplant, is a flowering plant from the borage family. This study examines the anti-metastatic impact of H. bacciferum on Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 (MCF-7) breast cancer cells and its ability to disrupt signaling pathways. Aim To explore the anti-metastatic effect of H. bacciferum on the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line. Materials and methods For this research, MCF-7 breast cancer cells were used. Cells were cultured and subjected to 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, as well as gene expression analysis for glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK3β), wingless-related integration site 2 (Wnt2), and β-catenin. The plant extract was tested to determine if it successfully blocked the signalling pathway or not. Results The MTT test was performed to study the cytotoxic impact of H. bacciferum. At an increasing concentration of 100 μg/mL, the extract inhibited growth by 55%, whereas at 150 μg/mL, it inhibited growth by 52.5%. Maximum inhibition was seen at 150 μg/mL. H. bacciferum suppressed the GSK3β and Wnt2 signaling pathways in MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines, acting as an anti-metastatic and anticancer agent. The heliotrine compound in H. bacciferum showed high binding energy to metastatic targets such as GSK3β, Wnt2, and β-catenin. Moreover, chemical absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) properties also support the study. Conclusion In this study, we can infer that H. bacciferum has a favourable anticancer impact on MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines and may be utilised as an anticancer drug against breast cancer cells. It can also be further evaluated for different breast cancers and cell lines.