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Background: Given the prevalence of breast cancer in Iran, the increased incidence of this malignancy during the past two decades, the high mortality rate of patients, and according to oral consumption, low cost and easy access to the public extracts of milk thistle, in this study we aimed to investigate the effectiveness of this herb on MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Material and Methods: In order to investigate the effect of silibinin in breast cancer, MCF-7 cells were cultured in the presence of different concentrations of the drug. MTT assay, Immunoblotting, and quantitative real-time PCR were used to assess the effect of the drug on cell viability and the expression levels of mRNA and protein of Bax and Bcl-2 genes. Results: Evaluation of cell survival using the MTT assay showed that silibinin reduced the viability of MCF-7 cells in a time and dose dependent manner. The results of this study showed that silibinin significantly increased levels of Bax mRNA expression, while the amount of Bcl-2 gene expression was not affected. As expected according to the results of real-time PCR, expression level of Bax protein was also increased significantly, whereas the Bcl-2 protein level was not changed. Discussion: Overall, the results of this study confirm the efficacy of this herb against breast cancer. Therfore, the milk thistle as a natural herb supplement with low cost and public access, could be effective in breast cancer therapy. Key words: silibinin, breast cancer, MCF-7 cells, Bax, Bcl-2

Keywords: silibinin, breast cancer, MCF-7 cells, Bax, Bcl-2

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