Study of gene expression changes in primary prostate cancer of mice treated with Urtica dioica L

The role of tumor suppressor genes in the development of prostate cancer is well known. Decrease or lack of expression of these genes causes the tumor to spread through metastasis to other tissues of the body. Since nettle has anti-cancer effects, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of hydroalcoholic extract of nettle stem and root on the expression changes of PTEN, MAGI-2 and SMAD-2 genes in mouse prostate induced tumor.

In this experimental study, hydroalcoholic extract of nettle was prepared by Soxhlet apparatus. The mice were injected subcutaneously for 28 days after injection of DMBA carcinoma with doses of 75 and 250 mg/kg, respectively. Also, the control group received no drug and the sham group received only the extract. The expression changes of the target genes were analyzed by Real Time PCR and the results were analyzed statistically.

The results showed that PTEN gene expression was increased in treatment with 250 root extract compared to day 14 turmeric. Expression of MAGI-2 gene was increased in treatment with root extract of 75 dose on day 28 compared to day 28 tumor. Evaluation of SMAD-2 gene expression showed that expression of this gene in treatment group with 250 root extract increased on day 21 compared to day 21 tumor.

According to studies on PTEN, MAGI-2 and SMAD-2 have revealed that inactivation of these three genes is considered a risk for cancer progression.