Anticancer Effect of Chestnut inner shell extract on MDA-MB-231 by Regulation of AMPK, p53, Bcl-2, and Bax Expression

Abstract The purpose of this study was to investigate the anticancer properties of chestnut inner shell extract (CSE) by evaluating its effect on the regulation of key apoptosis genes in human breast cancer cells (MDA-MB-231). To evaluate the anticancer effect of CSE, HEK-293 and MDA-MB-231 were treated with 1.0 mg/mL of CSE. The results showed no growth inhibition in HEK-293 cells, while the viability of MDA-MB-231 cells decreased to 82.7%, indicating an anticancer effect of CSE without suppressing the growth of normal cell (HEK-293). CSE treatment resulted in 1.8, 1.3, and 2.6 times enhancement of the expressions of AMPK-α, p53, and Bax, respectively, along with a 1.2 times decrease in Bcl-2, confirming its potential as an anticancer agent through the regulation of key apoptosis genes. The main components of CSE were analyzed using HPLC-MS/MS, and the identification of afzelin, a type of flavonoid glycoside, suggests its potential anticancer properties. Overall, CSE has been shown to effectively upregulate the expression of apoptosis genes and inhibit the growth of human breast cancer cells, making a promising natural candidate with anticancer effects in the fields of food and pharmaceuticals.