The Effects of Silibinin on SORT1 Gene Expression and A2780s Ovarian Cancer Cell Line Viability

Ovarian cancer is one of the deadliest genital cancers among females and mainly originates from epithelial cells. The cancer generally remains asymptomatic until metastasis. Silibinin, a derivative of Silybum marianum, is a flavonoid with anticancer effects against many tumor cells. The sortilin1 (SORT1) gene has been shown to be overexpressed in ovarian tumors. Here, we investigated the effects of silibinin on SORT1 gene expression and the viability of ovarian A2780s cancer cell line.

The A2780s ovarian cancer cell line was treated with silibinin at the concentrations of 50, 100, and 200 μM for 24 hours, and IC50 (half-maximal inhibitory concentration) was determined. Then the viability percentage of the cells treated with 100 μM silibinin was determined at 24, 48, and 72 hours. After 24 and 48 hours exposure to 100 μM silibinin, RNA was extracted, followed by cDNA synthesis and SORT1 gene expression analysis using glyceraldehyde 3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH) as the reference gene by real-time Polymerase chain reaction (PCR).

Silibinin in a dose- and time-dependent manner reduced the viability of ovarian cancer cells (P < 0.05), accompanied by a reduction in SORT1 gene expression.

The present study showed that silibinin had toxic effects against the A2780s ovarian cancer cell line, suggesting this compound as a potential anticancer agent.