Apoptosis Induction and Reactive Oxygen Species Generation by Artemisia absinthium L. Leaf Extract in MCF‑7 Breast Carcinoma Cells

Background: Breast cancer is the commonly occurring cancer among women in both high‑resource and low‑resource settings, and the primary cause of death among women globally owing to suboptimal anticancer chemotherapy. This reflects the imperative need for better management of breast cancer among women. Therefore, the current study was conducted to evaluate the anticancer properties of Artemisia absinthium L. leaf extract on Michigan Cancer Foundation‑7 (MCF‑7) breast cancer cells. Materials and Methods: Leaf sample of A. absinthium L. was subjected to the Soxhlet extraction method with ethanol. The extract was concentrated to prepare the crude plant extract, which was tested for anticancer properties. The anticancer activity of extract was evaluated by 3‑(4,5‑dimethylthiazol‑2‑yl)‑2,5‑diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and against (MCF‑7) cells. Flow cytometry using propidium iodide staining was used for the determination of cell cycle distribution and DCFHDA staining for the analysis of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production. Results: MTT assay revealed that the leaf extract of A. absinthium L. reduced the cell viability of MCF‑7 cancer cells. The IC50 of the crude extract was found to be 25 µg/mL. The results indicated that plant extract triggered the production of ROS and significantly reduced the mitochondrial membrane potential (ΔΨm). It also leads to the arrest of MCF‑7 cells in sub‑G1 stage of cell cycle and eventually induced apoptosis in a concentration‑dependent manner as indicated by 4’‑6‑diamidino‑2‑phenylindole staining. Moreover, plant extract also reduced the colony‑forming potential of MCF‑7 cells in a dose‑dependent manner. Conclusion: The present study demonstrated that ethanol extract of A. absinthium L. exhibited strong antiproliferative properties against breast cancer cells. Therefore, the extract can be used for the treatment for breast cancer directly or the chemical constituents may be used after the isolation.