Cell-based in-vitro evaluation of Chia Seeds (Salvia hispanica L.) extract and Alpha-Linolenic Acid on human breast Cancer.

Breast cancer (BC) is the most common malignancy and the main cause of cancer death among women globally, with a considerable increase in BC cases. Today, alternative treatment approaches have become necessary to improve the rate of BC patients. Therefore, the present study investigates the anticancer effect of Chia (Salvia hispanica L.) seed extract (CSE), and one of the most bioactive components is alpha linolenic acid (ALA), on the MCF-7 cell line. The results showed that CSE and ALA were specifically able to inhibit proliferation with IC50 CSE=74.1µg/ml and ALA=133.3µg/ml. CSE and ALA induced morphological changes related to apoptosis, inhibition of cell adhesion, migration and reduced spheroids volumes of MCF-7 cells depending on concentration. CSE was more active on cytochrome C in cytosol, increased caspase3, and decreased protein expression of BCL2 in MCF-7 cells.