The Anticancer Effect of Arctium lappa and Glycyrrhiza glabra on HT-29 Colon Cancer and MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cell Lines

Objectives: Breast and colon cancer are the most common malignancy in the world and the common causes of mortality in Western societies. The aim of the current study was to examine the effectiveness of Glycyrrhiza glabra and Arctium extracts on breast cancer (MCF7) and gastrointestinal cancer (HT 29) cell lines, with regard to their naturalness, low cost and easy public access. Materials and Methods: In this study, dose and time were considered as variables in order to determine the optimal effects of the drug. Two MCF7- and HT29 cell lines were cultured on a single layer in RPMI 1640 culture medium and MTT method and flow cytometric method were used to examine apoptosis. Results: The study of cell survival using MTT showed that the aqueous extract of G. glabra at a dose of 2000 μg/mL and incubation for 24 hours had the most inhibitory effect on the MCF7- cell line. In addition, a dose of 2000 μg/mL of G. glabra aqueous extract with -24hour incubation represents apoptosis by flow cytometric method. Conclusions: The results of this study confirm the effectualness of this herbal supplement for the treatment of breast cancer, and the inclusion of this herbal supplement in the diet may be effective in treating breast cancer, given the naturalness of the product, its low cost and public availability.