Assessment of the Cytotoxic Effects of Silymarin on the MCF7 Cell Line

Abstract

Silymarin was isolated Using HPLC (high-performance liquid chromatography).  The cytotoxicity of silymarin on breast cancer cells was examined using the MTT assay, followed by qRT-PCR to measure p53 expression. Silymarin exhibited dose-dependent cytotoxicity, significantly impeding the proliferation of breast cells at elevated concentrations (P≤ 0.01), with an IC50 value established at 12.1 ppm.  Furthermore, it was shown that cells exposed to the IC50 of silymarin displayed a markedly elevated gene expression (P≤ 0.05) of p53, with a fold change of 4.5 relative to untreated cells.  Silymarin derived from milk thistle exhibits antiproliferative properties on breast-cancer cells and enhances the expression of the p53 gene, suggesting its potential as a treatment for breast-cancer patients.    The present investigation aims to evaluate the antiproliferative effects of milk thistle-derived silymarin on the MCF7 cell line and its impact on breast cancer cells' expression of the p53 gene.