Silybum marianum, is known to have anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective and anticarciogenic effects. The aim of this study was to compare effects of Silymarin, Rapamycin and FK506 on proliferation and apoptosis of human T cells stimulated with Con A. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) were stimulated with concavalin A (Con A) (5μ g/mL) and then treated with different inhibitors (silymarin, rapamycin and FK506) in various concentrations (5 days). Cells were examined using carboxyfluorescein succinimidyl ester (CFSE) assay for proliferation. Then cell apoptosis was analyzed by FITC annexin V/PI staining and flow cytometry. The effects of drugs on the activation of poly ADP ribose polymerase (PARP) pathway in PBMCs stimulated with Con A and treated with IC50 dose of drugs for 5 days were evaluated using the PathScan cleaved PARP sandwich ELISA kit. The results indicated that silymarin inhibited T cell proliferation. In addition, our results pointed out that 100 μ M and 200 μ M of silymarin significantly have more inhibitory effect on T cells proliferation than FK506 and rapamycin. None of these drugs at IC50 concentration had affected the level of cleaved PARP. Overall, with superior efficacy and lesser toxicity in comparison with other immunosuppressive drugs, silymarin could be a suitable choice of therapy for certain diseases.

Objective: Over expression of SIRT1, is implicated in many cancers and therefore could become a promising antitumor target. Here we demonstrate a small molecule inhibitor, with potent inhibitory effects on the proliferation of breast cancer stem cells.Materials and Methods: Breast cancer stem cells cultured in RPMI-1640 medium and treated with and without small molecule inhibitor. The percentage of apoptotic cells was measured by flow cytometry. Real-time quantitative RT-PCR was performed to quantitatively estimate the mRNA expression of Sirtuin1 at different times.Results: Our findings indicated that small molecule inhibitor could effectively induced apoptosis in breast cancer stem cells. Further we showed expression of SIRT1 was dramatically down-regulated by small molecule inhibitor treatment with asending time. Conclusion: Small molecule inhibitor as a single agent through decrease expression of Sirtuin1 gene induced significant apoptosis of breast cancer stem cells. So, the small molecule inhibitor may have constituted novel anticancer agent.

Luteolin is a flavone in medicinal plants as well as some vegetables and spices. It is a natural anti-oxidant with less pro-oxidant potential but apparently with a better safety profile. The purpose of this study was to investigate the molecular mechanism of luteolin-mediated apoptosis of MG-63 human osteosarcoma cells. MTT assay kit was employed to evaluate the effects of luteolin on MG-63 cells proliferation. Then, we performed Annexin V-FITC/PI to analyze the apoptotic rate of the cells. Furthermore, the inhibitory effects of luteolin on the expressions of BCL-2, BAX, Caspase-3 and Survivin were detected by Western blotting. As expected, luteolin (0. 5, 2. 5, 12. 5 μ g/mL) inhibited the growth of MG-63 cells by inhibiting cell proliferation and inducing cell apoptosis. Western blotting demonstrated that luteolin (0. 5, 2. 5, 12. 5 μ g/mL) inhibited the expressions of BCL-2, Caspase-3 and Survivin, and promoted the expression of BAX in MG-63 cells with a concentration dependent way. Luteolin can inhibit osteosarcoma cell proliferation and induce apoptosis effectively in a dose dependent manner through down-regulating the expression of BCL-2, Caspase-3 and Survivin proteins levels and up-regulating the expression of BAX protein level. These findings indicated that luteolin may be used as a novel herbal medicine for the treatment of osteosarcoma.

Introduction: Cancer is a disorder with a high mortality rate that leads to many psychological and economic conflicts. Herbal compounds that induce apoptosis are one of the methods for the treatment of cancer. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the anticancer effects of hydroxytyrosol on oral cancer cell line KB and the regulation of BAX and BCL2 genes expression. Materials and Methods: Anti-proliferation effects of hydroxytyrosol against oral cancer cell line KB were investigated by 3-[4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2, 5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Moreover, mRNA expression of BAX and BCL2 genes were investigated by quantitative Real-Time PCR method. Results: We observed a significant decrease in proliferation of the oral cancer cell line treated with hydroxytyrosol. In addition, expression of BAX and BCL2 genes was significantly increased (3. 3 fold) and decreased (2. 2 fold) in the oral cancer cell line treated with Hydroxytyrosol, respectively (P < 0. 05). Conclusion: The study indicated a high antiproliferation effect of hydroxytyrosol against oral cancer cell line KB through regulating the expression of some apoptotic genes.