The Comparison of The Effects of Silybin and Silybin-Phosphatidylcholine on Viability and ESR Expression in Human Breast Cancer T47D Cell Line

Silybin is a polyphenol with anti-oxidant and anti-cancer properties. The poor bioavailability of some polyphenols can be improved by binding to phosphatidylcholine. In recent years, studies have been conducted to evaluate the anti-cancer effect of silybin. We studied the effect of silybin and silybin-phosphatidylcholine on ESR1 and ESR2 gene expression and viability in the T47D breast cancer cell line. In this experimental study, a 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2-Yl)-2,5- Diphenyltetrazolium Bromide test (MTT test) was used to determine doses for cell treatment, and the gene expression was analyzed by real-time reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (real-time RT- PCR). Significant dose- and time-dependent cell growth inhibitory effects of silybin and silybin-phosphatidylcholine along with ESR1 down-regulation were observed in T47D cells. In contrast to ESR1, the T47D cell line showed negligible ESR2 expression. This study suggests that silybin and silybin-phosphatidylcholine down-regulate ESR1 in ER+ breast cancers. Results also show that in the T47D cell line, silybinphosphatidylcholine has a much higher growth inhibitory effect and a more significant down-regulation of ESR1 compared with silybin.