The Antiproliferative Effect Of Origanum Majorana On Hepatocarcinoma Cell Line

Abstract

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common cancer types with a high prevalence and it is the leading cause of cancer deaths worldwide. This study aimed to investigate the antiproliferative effect of water and ethanol extracts of Origanum majorana leaf on human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cell line through incubation of various concentrations of Origanum majorana extracts with HepG2 at different time intervals. The effects of water and ethanol extracts of O. majorana on HepG2 cell viability, nuclear factor kappa B (NF-kB) gene expression were examined. The results of the cell viability assays showed that water and ethanol extracts exhibited a highly significant inhibitory effect on HepG2 cell proliferation which was evidenced by a reduction in viable cell count. The results were confirmed by microscopical examination of cell morphology. Furthermore, the O. majorana extracts suppressed the activity of NF-kB gene expression of HepG2 cells compared to the control. The conclusions from this study suggest that marjoram extracts exhibit anti-proliferative effect against HCC through suppressing the activity of NF-kB gene expression. Key words: HepG2, Origanum majorana, antiproliferative effect ,cancer , hepatocellular carcinoma, nuclear factor kappa B.