The effect of multifloral honey on cytotoxicity and the mitochondrial apoptotic pathway in ovarian cancer cell

Background Ovarian cancer is one of the most common malignancies in the female reproductive system. Honey has a range of medical properties. It has been shown to have anticancer properties, especially for breast, cervical, etc. cancers. Objective In our study, we aimed to investigate the cytotoxic, anti-migratory, and mitochondrial apoptotic pathway effects of Multifloral honey on the Ovarian Adenocarcinoma SKOV3 cell line. Methods The MTT assay was used to evaluate the anti-proliferative effect of Multifloral honey on SKOV3 and HDF cell lines. Subsequently, differences in the expression of genes involved in mitochondrial apoptosis in the SKOV3 cell were examined using RT-qPCR and Western Blot methods. Finally, the effects of Multifloral honey on migration in SKOV3 cell were observed under a microscope. Results It was found that honey did not exhibit a cytotoxic effect on HDF cell, but significantly suppressed SKOV3 cell proliferation, promoting apoptosis. In our study on SKOV3 cells, we observed a significant decrease in the ratio of apoptotic genes Bax/Bcl-2 (P = 0.0043) using the RT-qPCR method, while the expressions of Cyt-C and Bad increased significantly (P = 0.0034 and P < 0.0001, respectively). Western Blot analysis confirmed the decrease in the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio. In our wound healing results, we found that honey inhibited migration in the SKOV3 cell. Conclusion Our results provide preliminary evidence that Multifloral honey induces cell death in SKOV3 cell line through involvement in the intrinsic apoptotic pathways, and it demonstrates significant anticancer activity against human ovarian cancer cell lines for the first time.