Gene expression analysis of cell death induction by Ficus carica in different malignant cell lines

Ficus carica (fig) has been shown to possess properties that induce cell death, making it a potential anti-cancer agent; however, its mechanism of action remains largely unknown. This study aims to identify potential common apoptotic, necrotic, and autophagic gene expression changes following Ficus carica treatment in different tumor cell lines.Two different malignant cell lines (HT-29, MG-63) were used to examine the effects of F. carica extract on cell death pathway genes. The effect of the extract on cell viability was determined in our previous study using the MTT assay. Cells were treated with the F. carica extract according to the determined IC50 dose and time point. Apoptotic, necrotic, and autophagic gene expression changes were confirmed by qRT-PCR.F. carica treatment induced apoptosis, autophagy, and necrosis in different cell lines. Among the genes with the strongest regulation of cell death-related expression, we identified pro-apoptotic (Caspase-3, Bad), autophagic (LC3-II, Atg-5), and necrotic (RIP1, RIP3) transcription factors. These pathways were found to interact each other. The results indicate that F. carica activates different types of cell death in cancer cell lines without exhibiting cytotoxic effects on healthy cells.This study represents the first combined analysis of potential target genes in apoptosis, necrosis, and autophagy pathways following F. carica treatment across two different malignant cell lines. The findings demonstrate that F. carica is an effective anti-cancer agent capable of inducing various cell death pathways.