Overcoming Drug Resistance in Breast Cancer Using Quercetin Nanodrugs

Fatemeh Sorayabin Mobarhan; Maryam Teimouri; Mehdi Pooladi

doi:10.18502/jabs.v12i3.10714

Fatemeh Sorayabin Mobarhan Department of Biology, Roudehen Branch, Islamic Azad University, Roudehen, Iran
Maryam Teimouri Department of Biology, Roudehen Branch, Islamic Azad University, Roudehen, Iran
Mehdi Pooladi Department of Biology, Faculty of Basic Sciences, Science and Research Branch, Azad Islamic University, Tehran, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/jabs.v12i3.10714

Keywords: Quercetin, Doxorubicin, MCF-7, BT474, Breast Cancer

Abstract

Background & Objective: Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in the world. Treatment methods for this disease have been with poor results. In recent years, more attention has been paid to stem cells due to their cytotoxic properties. According to previous results, the effect of nanoquercetin on breast cancer cells in this study was used concomitantly with doxorubicin, which is a chemotherapy drug and in some patients has therapeutic resistance.

Materials & Methods: The above study was performed on MCF7 and BT474 human breast cancer cells. Quercetin was synthesized, then different concentrations of 10, 20, 40, 80 and 160 of quercetin and 1, 2.5, 5 and 10 μg/ml of doxorubicin were prepared and two cell lines were treated for 24 h. MTT test was used to determine cell viability and flow cytometry test was used to determine the extent of apoptosis in both cell lines.

Results: The results showed that MCF7 and BT474 cells that were affected by quercetin and doxorubicin, increasing the concentration of quercetin and doxorubicin decreased the survival of both cell lines within 24 h. The LC50 concentration was calculated for both cells treated with nanoquercetin 40 μg/ml and for doxorubicin (0.1 mg/mL). The results also showed that in both cell lines, an increase in cellular apoptosis occurred after incubation with quercetin and then incubation with doxorubicin.

Conclusion: Comparison of doxorubicin (DOX), quercetin (QU) and quercetin and doxorubicin (QU-DOX) groups with controls shows that with the presence of quercetin-doxorubicin, it had a greater inhibitory effect on cancer cells.