The anti-cancer effect of amygdalin on human cancer cell lines

Derived from rosaceous plant seed, amygdalin belongs to aromatic cyanogenic glycoside group, and its anticancer effects have been supported by mounting evidence. In this study, we objected to investigate amygdalin effect on two antiapoptotic genes (Survivin, XIAP) and two lncRNAs (GAS5, MALAT1) in human cancer cells (A549, MCF7, AGS). Employing RT-qPCR analysis, we compared the mRNA levels of the genes related to apoptosis in A549, MCF7, and AGS cancer cells between amygdalin-treated (24, 48 and 72h) and un-treated groups. RNA was extracted from both cell groups and then cDNAs were synthesized. The changes in the gene expression levels were specified using Ct method. RT-qPCR analysis has revealed that the expression of Survivin, XIAP, GAS5 and MALAT1 in amygdala-treated cancer cells were significantly different, compared to the un-treated cells. However, these expressions were different depending on the treatment time. According to the results, amygdalin significantly inhibited the expression level of Survivin, and XIAP genes in treated via untreated group. Our findings suggest that amygdalin might have an anticancer effect due to the various gene expressions in A549, MCF7, and AGS human cancer cells, showing it's potential as a natural therapeutic anticancer drug.