Antiproliferative Activity of Bombax ceiba Flower Extract against Mammary Gland Carcinoma in Rats

Abstract

Ahlam Hosny Mahmoud, Nadia Said Metwally, Eman Refat Youness, Safinaz Ebrahim El- Toukhy, Heba A. Elmalt and Asmaa Khairy Al-Mokaddem

Breast cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women. The present study evaluates the potential therapeutic effects of a methanol extract of Bombax ceiba flowers on cancerous changes in the mammary glands of rats. Mammary gland tumors were induced in female rats with 7,12 dimethylbenz (a) anthracene, with phorbol used as a promotor. PI3K/AKT, Ki-67, TGFβ, and Bcl2 as markers for tumor-cell proliferation and progression were assessed by an enzymelinked immunosorbent assay in serum and tissues. Mammary gland tissue samples were collected for histopathology and immune staining for Ki-67. All markers increased significantly in the rat-breast cancer model. The extract minimized cancer-cell proliferation, as evidenced by a substantial reduction in the levels of all markers in both serum and tissues and supported by histopathological findings and immunexpression of Ki-67.B.Ceiba. The flower extract ameliorate the action against exaggerated cell proliferation associated with mammary gland tumors, suggesting a possible use of it as a complementary anticancer therapy.