Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
MSc, Faculty of Medicine, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran.
2
MSc. Dept. of Clinical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran.
3
Professor, Dept. of Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran.
4
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran
5
Assistant Professor, Dept. of Social Medicine and Occupational Environment Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran.
6
Assistant Professor, Dept of clinical Biochemistry and Molecular Medicine Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Rafsanjan University of Medical Sciences, Rafsanjan, Iran.
Abstract
Introduction: The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of different concentrations of saffron (Crocus sativus) on the expression of OCT4, KLF, SOX2, NANOG and Nucleostemin genes in AGS (gastric cancer) cell line.
Materials and Methods: Gastric adenocarcinoma cell line (AGS) was prepared from the cell bank of Iran Pasteur Institute and were cultured in RPMI 1640 medium. The cells were then cultured in both test and control groups under similar conditions. At confluency of 60-70%, the test group was treated with saffron essence at concentrations of 20, 40 and 100 µg/ml for 24, 48 and 72 hours. Total RNA was extracted prior to cDNA preparation. The expression of target genes in both test and control groups were determined.
Results: The results showed that the saffron extract decreased expression of OCT4, KLF, SOX2, NANOG and Nucleostemin genes.
Conclusion: The results suggested that saffron can be considered as an anti-cancer agent due to its role in inhibition of cell division. This study could be the basis for further studies on the anti-cancer property of herbal products.
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