Apoptosis-induced in vitro anticancer activity of methanolic extract of leaves and rhizomes of Curcuma amada Roxb. against breast cancer cells

Objective: Cancer is one of the most dreadful diseases which is globally distributed among the world’s population. Cancer occurs due to excessive free radical damage, which ultimately causes damage to the genetic material DNA, protein, and lipids. This DNA damage leads to mutations that cause normal cells to transform into a cancer cell. Breast cancer is the major health problem among women in both developing and developed countries. Although several treatment strategies have been employed, there are still chances of recurrence of cancer. Hence, in this study, the mechanism of apoptosis inducing the effect of methanolic extract of leaves and rhizomes of Curcuma amada has been analyzed. Materials and Methods: Immunocytochemical analysis was used to detect the expression of apoptosis-associated proteins Bax, Bcl-2, and p53. Various phytochemicals present in the leaves, and the rhizomes were analyzed using various chromatographic and spectral studies. Results: The results revealed that the extracts upregulated the expression level of pro-apoptotic proteins p53 and Bax in cancer cells compared to the non-tumorigenic cells, whereas there was a downregulation in the expression of anti-apoptotic protein Bcl-2 in the extract treated cancerous cells. Conclusion: The result of this study indicated that the extracts induced apoptosis in breast cancer cells which is mediated through apoptosis.