The Role of Harmine in Up-regulating p53 Gene Expression and Inducing Apoptosis in MCF-7 Cell Line

Background: as a major tumor suppressor gene, p53 plays a principal role in the apoptosis of cancer cells. harmine is a harmal-derived alkaloid with antioxidant and anticancer properties. this study was designed to assess the ability of harmine to express p53 gene and stimulate apoptosis in breast cancer cell line.methods: mcf-7 cell line was cultured and treated with harmine. half maximal inhibitory concentration (ic50) assay was carried out through mmt method following 24 h of treatment. flow cytometry technique was employed to measure apoptotic cells and real-time pcr was performed to estimate p53 gene expression in tumor cells.results: the ic50 for the harmine extract in mcf-7 cells was 30 μm. harmine administration in all treated groups resulted in a significant increase in apoptosis and p53 gene expression in mcf-7 cells (p < 0.00001).conclusions: it seems that harmine administration is able to induce apoptosis in mcf-7 cells through the up-regulation of p53 expression.