The Promising Effect of Peucedanum chenur Chloroformic Extract on Prevention of Human Colorectal Cancer Progression by Modulating miR-135b, miR-21, and APC Genes.

The therapeutic use of herbal medicines for the diseases, including cancer, is increasing due to their lower side effects. The present research evaluated the effect of Peucedanum chenur chloroformic extract (PCCE) on cell proliferation against HCT-116 human colorectal cancer cell line. The cytotoxic effect of PCCE was evaluated by MTT assay. The activity of the Wnt/B-catenin pathway was assayed through measuring the expression of miR-135b, miR-21, and APC genes by real-time PCR. The flow cytometry and scratch tests were used to study the cell cycle and cell migration, respectively. Also, the antioxidant activity of PCCE was measured by DPPH and iron-chelating tests. The results showed the downregulation of miR-135b and miR-21 and overexpression of the APC gene. Furthermore, PCCE decreased the free radicals, cell migration, and cell proliferation. The antioxidant activity of PCCE was confirmed by standard tests. Altogether, our findings suggest that purified compounds of PCCE could be developed as a potent chemo-preventive drug for the treatment of CRC.