The Effect of Snake Venom (Naja naja oxiana) on Proliferation Rate of cancer Cells

Aims Because cancer is the leading cause of death worldwide, finding a better way to treat it seems essential. Doxorubicin is one of the most common drugs in the treatment of cancer, which has many negative and toxic effects. Therefore, efforts to produce effective anticancer drugs through screening natural compounds, such as animal toxins continue. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of Naja naja oxiana snake venom in comparison with doxorubicin on the proliferation rate and concentration of malondialdehyde in the human cervical cancer cell line (HeLa) and fibroblast cells (HFF). Methods & Materials HeLa and normal fibroblast cancer cell lines were exposed to different concentrations of snake venom and doxorubicin for 24 and 48 hours. The amplification rate was determined using trypan blue staining and malondialdehyde concentration was measured to evaluate the effects of oxidative stress. Data were analyzed using SPSS software version 19. Findings The results showed that with increasing concentration and treatment time with snake venom and doxorubicin, the cell proliferation rate decreases, and malondialdehyde content increases. The highest decrease in proliferation rate and increase in malondialdehyde concentration were observed in the HeLa cancer cell line treated with 500 µg/mL of snake venom for 48 hours. Conclusion In comparison with doxorubicin, snake venom has a significant inhibitory effect on the HeLa cancer cell line with minimal effect on normal fibroblast cells.