Methanolic extract of Ephedra alata inhibits breast cancer cells in vitro and in vivo

Abstract

Objective: To determine the anticancer potential of the methanolic extract from Ephedra alata against breast cancer both in vitro and in vivo. Methods: The effects of the methanolic extract of Ephedra alata on the viability, migration as well as apoptosis of breast cancer 4T1 cells were measured using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay, Transwell assay, and annexin V-FITC staining assay, respectively. Histological examination was also carried out. Moreover, a murine breast cancer model was established to evaluate the inhibitory effect of the extract. Biochemical parameters including hepatic and non-hepatic enzymes, malondialdehyde, and glutathione were investigated. Results: The methanolic extract of Ephedra alata showed a strong anti-proliferative and anti-migratory activity against 4T1 cells in a dose-dependent manner. It also induced apoptosis in 4T1 cells. In an in vivo mouse model, the extract markedly inhibited tumor growth, reduced malondialdehyde, and hepatic and non-hepatic enzymes as well as increased glutathione level. Conclusions: The methanolic extract of Ephedra alata inhibits breast cancer in vitro and in vivo, which may be a promising anticancer agent.

Keywords

Ephedra / Breast cancer / Apoptosis / Antioxidant / Migration

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge the Tunisian Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research for the financial support of this study.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no conflicts of interest to disclose.

Funding

The authors received no extramural funding for the study.

Data availability statement

The data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding authors upon request.

Authors’ contributions

FS and LCG supervised and designed the study. FS and AL performed in vivo study. MS and FC performed data collection and analytic calculation. FS contributed to the final version of the manuscript.

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