Investigation of the cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of the newly synthesized benzofuran-linked chalcone compounds in breast cancer

<span lang="EN-US" style="font-size:10.0pt;font-family:&quot;Palatino Linotype&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Times New Roman&quot;;mso-ansi-language:EN-US;mso-fareast-language:EN-US;mso-bidi-language:AR-SA">Nowadays, cancer is still one of the most importantdeadly diseases. Many different compounds have been developed for use in cancertreatments. Chalcone complexes, which are derived from the flavonoid family arealso one of the compounds with anticancer activity. Chalcone complexestypically exhibit anticancer activity by inducing cell death pathways andinhibiting cell proliferation. These complexes, which are known to be effectivein various types of cancer based on several studies, are also known to beeffective in lung, colon, and breast cancer cell lines. However, the mechanismof action of the three newly synthesized benzofuran-linked chalcone complexes(Chalcone I, Chalcone II and Chalcone III) in these types of cancer is unknown.In this study, the cytotoxic effects of the newly synthesized chalconecompounds were investigated in lung (A549), colon (HCT116), and breast cancer (MCF7and MDA-MB-231) cell lines. In general, chalcone complexes that inhibit cellproliferation by inducing apoptosis may also exert their effects throughdifferent death pathways. These complexes may not have anti-proliferativeeffects in each cancer cell line. In this context, the study showed that thenewly synthesized chalcone compounds did not have a cytotoxic effect on lung(A549) and colon cancer (HCT116) cell lines, but did have a cytotoxic effect onbreast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231). In this perspective, thecytotoxic effect of the newly synthesized chalcone compound, which could be a suitablecandidate for monotherapy according to IC₅₀ value among the threedifferent chalcone compounds used, Chalcone I, was investigated in breastcancer cell lines to determine the mechanism of death through which it acts.According to the results obtained, the newly synthesized compound was shown tocause a dose-dependent decrease in cell viability, to limit colony formationability, and to induce cell death via apoptosis in breast cancer cell lines. Accordingto this results, we predict that the new chalcone compound, based on itscytotoxic effect, is a candidate compound for use in monotherapy. Thus, thedetailed investigation of the mechanisms of action of an artificiallysynthesized flavonoid-derived complex in breast cancer treatment is animportant target for the development of a new cancer drug.</span>