Expresión de las proteínas bax y bcl2 en células de cáncer de mama in vitro tratadas con amaranthus hipochondriacus

Abstract

Introduction: Breast cancer is a systemic, multifactorial disease that is produced by a malignant, accelerated, disorderly proliferation of cells with mutated genes, a situation that due to its high incidence and mortality has become a global health problem. In 2017 according to the National Institute of Statistics and Censuses (INEC); breast cancer ranks 11th among the leading causes of death in women. Between the years 2012 and 2017; 99.3% of the deaths were female; in 2017, 670 women with a diagnosis of breast cancer and 3 men died; representing a mortality rate of 3.99 per 100,000 Ecuadorians. The disadvantages caused by chemotherapy and radiotherapy are considerable, generating secondary and collateral effects that may or may not appear in the patient, which is why numerous investigations are focused on the search for treatment alternatives such as the beneficial use of medicinal plants. Ecuador being a megadiverse country; it is possible to find natural species with multiple benefits and properties; which can contribute to studies to search for possible cancer treatments. Objective: To determine the expression of BAX and BCL2 in MCF-7 cells treated with extract of Amaranthus hypochondriacus. Methodology: In the present work, the effects on breast cancer cells (MCF-7), treated with Amaranthus hypochondriacus extract, were investigated and the expression of proteins involved in apoptosis was determined by q RT-PCR. Results: BAX expression was higher in MCF-7 cells treated with Amaranthus hypochondriacus, while BCL-2 expression had a similar behavior to the control group. In both cases, no statistically significant differences were obtained. Conclusion: The optimal dose of 1,451 microliters of Amaranthus hypochondriacus extract may favor apoptosis in the breast cancer cell line, therefore, its study could be expanded as a possible adjuvant in treatment. Recommendation: Carry out more quantitative analyzes, where the expression of proteins after exposure is investigated with the extract of Amaranthus hypochondriacus, in addition to investigating other natural products with the sole purpose of a search for possible alternatives for the treatment against cancer.