Evaluation of Anti-cancer and Anti-proliferative Activity of Medicinal Plant Extracts (Saffron, Green Tea, Clove, Fenugreek) on Toll Like Receptors Pathway

Despite considerable efforts, cancer remains an aggressive killer worldwide. Chemotherapeutic drugs that are currently in use lead to destructive side effects and have not succeeded in fulfilling expectations. For centuries, medicinal plants are used for treating various diseases and are also known to have anticancer activity. The main aim of this research was to evaluate antiproliferative activity of saffron, clove, fenugreek, and green tea on Vero and MDA-MB-231 cell lines and to subsequently analyze the effect of these extracts on IRAK-4, TAK1, IKK-alpha, IKK-beta, NF-Kappa B, IRF3, IRF7 genes in Toll Like Receptors (TLRs) pathway. Antiproliferative assay was done by Neutral Red Dye uptake assay. Methanolic extract of green tea was found to be most effective against both cell lines as IC₅₀ was achieved at least concentration of the extract. For molecular studies, MDAMB-231 cells were sensitized with methanolic extract of green tea at same IC₅₀, and RT-PCR was performed to determine the relative expression of genes. Expression of IRAK-4, TAK1, IKK-beta, NF-Kappa B, IRF3 genes was down regulated and IRF7 and IKKalpha was upregulated. Green tea has a potential cytotoxic effect on both cell lines which was demonstrated by its effect on the expression of (TLRs) pathway genes.