Effect of Ascorbic Acid on Signaling Pathwaysof Bcl2 and Bax Genes in AGS Cell Line

Antioxidants have a great influence on the control of oxidative stress and free radicals; moreover, they cause the expression of apoptosis genes. Accordingly, they have an important role in preventing cancer. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of ascorbic acid on signaling pathways of Bcl2 and Bax genes in AGS cell lines.

In this study, the AGS cell line was treated with different concentrations of ascorbic acid at different time intervals. The effect of ascorbic acid on cell death was measured using the MTT method. Furthermore, RNA extraction and cDNA synthesis were performed in this study. Finally, the expression of Bcl2 and Bax genes was evaluated using a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) method. Ethics code:0000000215021053.

Considering the different concentrations of ascorbic acid, the results obtained from the cell toxicity indicated a significant increase in cell death in the test group, compared to the control group (P<0.05). The results of the real-time PCR test showed that the expression of Bcl2 and Bax gene was significantly increased due to treatment with ascorbic acid, compared to GAPDH (P<0.05).

The results show that ascorbic acid plays an important role in inhibiting the growth of cancer cells.