The effect of extract of Dunaliella salina L. on the expression of Bax in glioblastoma cancer cell Line

Background & Aims: Plant extracts can change the expression of genes in cancer cells. Till now, no study has been performed on the effect of algae extract. The aim of this research was to study the changes in Bax apoptotic gene expression in glioblastoma cell line and to determine the rate of cell death in cancer cells treated with Dunalilla salina extract. U87 cell line contains glioblastoma cancer cells as the most acute type of human brain tumor. Several genes, including Bax, play important roles in initiating apoptosis and the expression of Bax decreases during cancer. Today, because of the side effects of chemical drugs, the tendency to use algae and medicinal plants in the treatment of diseases has increased. Methods: The U87 cell line was prepared from Iranian Biological Resources Center and cultivated. Cells were divided into two treatment and control groups. Dunaliella extract was affected on the treatment group with concentrations of 0.5, 1, 2, 5, 10, 15, 20, 50 and 100 mg/ml and its toxicity was measured using MTT assay. Bax expression was examined by Real time PCR. RNA was extracted from the cells of the treatment and control group and the cDNA was made. The expression of genes was evaluated using Real time PCR and ΔΔCt. Results: The result of MTT indicated that IC50 was 10.01 mg/ml for 48 hours of treatment. By using Real Time PCR, it was found that in these cells, the expression level of Bax apoptotic gene increased 4-fold (p-value <0.001). Conclusion: Treatment with algae extract was able to increase gene expression and kill cancer cells. It is suggested that the effect of extracts of other algae on changes in the expression of other genes involved in apoptosis be investigated.