Drought stress affecting the anticarcinogenic and apoptosis effects of biological macromolecules in nettle and Tribulus medicinal plants for treating NSCLC cancer cells

• The effects of stressed nettle and Tribulus on apoptosis in NSCLC cancer cells • Cellular apoptosis determined by the expression of the Bcl-2 and Bax genes • Highest and lowest Bax gene expression by nettle (control) and Tribulus (drought) • Tested plants inhibit carcinogenic effects of NSCLC by affecting Bcl-2 & Bax genes • The findings for developing methods and medicinal plants which may control cancer Medicinal plants are known for their therapeutic properties due to their diverse biochemical compounds and significant anti-cancer effects. The identified compounds including flavonoids, saponins, alkaloids, and anthocyanins, in medicinal plants, reduce cell proliferation, inhibit cell growth, and decrease survival of cancer cells. In this study, the effects of extracts from medicinal plants, nettle ( Urtica dioica ) and Tribulus ( Tribulus terrestris ), under drought stress conditions (control (S1), 50 (S2) and 75% of field capacity (S3)) on the apoptosis in NSCLC cancer cells were examined. The experiments were conducted as two separate trials in a complete randomized design with three replications. Cellular apoptosis was determined by expression of the anti-apoptotic factor Bcl-2 and pro-apoptotic factors of caspase-3 Bax, measured using Real-Time PCR techniques 72 h after incubation. The extracts of nettle and Tribulus plants, subjected to drought stress, significantly (P ≤ 0.01) affected the expression of Bcl-2 and Bax genes. The highest expression of Bcl-2 gene was related to nettle extract in S1, and the lowest was related to Tribulus in S3. Bax gene expression was at its highest level by nettle (S1) and the lowest in Tribulus (S3). According to the results, the extracts of nettle and Tribulus are able to inhibit the carcinogenic properties of NSCLC by regulating the expression of the Bcl-2 and Bax genes, however, drought stress may decrease such a potential. These findings can be utilized to develop methods and medicinal plants including nettle and Tribulus, which may decrease proliferation and carcinogenic properties of NSCLC cancer cells.