cytotoxic effects of escitalopram on mcf7 breast cancer cells and normal hek293 cells

Background: the present study primarily aimed to investigate the cytotoxic effects of the antidepressant escitalopram on both cancerous human breast cancer (mcf7) cells and normal human embryonic kidney (hek293) cells. methods: mcf7 and hek293 cell lines were randomly divided into control groups and treatment groups exposed to varying concentrations of escitalopram, ranging from 15.625, 31.25, 62.5, 125, 250, to 500 µm. cell viability was assessed using the mtt assay, and gene expression analysis in mcf7 cells was performed through rt-pcr. to compare the data across the groups, one-way anova followed by tukey’s post hoc test was conducted. results: a significant reduction in mcf7 cell viability was observed at escitalopram concentrations of 62.5, 125, 250, and 500 µm compared to the control group (p < 0.001). similarly, significant cytotoxicity was detected in hek293 cells at 125, 250, and 500 µm (p < 0.001). moreover, there was a significant increase in bax gene expression in mcf7 cells (p < 0.01). conclusions: escitalopram exhibits dose-dependent cytotoxic effects on breast cancer cells, possibly via upregulation of the pro-apoptotic bax gene. additionally, off-target effects on normal cells must be considered.