Thesis (Ph.D.) - Cairo University - National Cancer Institute - Department of Cancer Biology

Introduction :Breast cancer constitutes the second most prevalent cancer in Egypt, the problem which needs more trends in treatment and treatment development either by regimen modification or introducing new drugs. Materials and methods : the main objective of this study is to screen the effects of the Aqueous- ethanol herbal extract of luffa cylindrica leaves on different types of breast cancer cell lines representing different molecular sub-types of the disease with emphasis on the main apoptotic pathways as well as extract effect on normal cell line. Results : phytochemical investigation ,cell cycle analysis and molecular analysis of apoptotic and proliferative markers have shown effective anticancer activities against MCF-7, BT-474, and MDA-MB-231 cell lines which represent three subtypes of breast cancer, Luminal A, Luminal B, and Triple Negative respectively, on the other hand the effects on normal lung cell line is less prominent at the dose used for treating breast cancer cell lines. Conclusion : luffa cylindrica leaf extract may be a good source for antitumor drugs; also the crude extract may be used in combination with traditional chemotherapy to enhance effectiveness

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