Background: Cancer is one of the main causes of death in the world, and disruption of the apoptosis process is considered one of the important causes of cancer. Due to the fewer side effects of natural compounds compared to current chemotherapy drugs, these compounds have attracted the attention of scientists. Hydroxytyrosol (HT) is a natural polyphenolic compound in olive oil that has shown antitumor activity in several cancer cells, but its molecular mechanism is unknown.
The purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of HT on the expression of the miR-21-5p gene and the genes involved in apoptosis, Bax, Bcl2, and caspase 3 in HepG2 cells.
Materials and Methods: HepG2 cells were treated with different concentrations of HT (50, 100, and 150 μM) for 24 hours. Then, the expression level of Bax, Bcl2, Caspase3, and Mir-21-5p genes was investigated by RT-qPCR method.
Results: The results showed that HT decreased miR-21-5p gene expression and increased Bax caspase 3 gene expression and Bax/Bcl2 ratio in treated groups compared to control (P<0.05). In addition, a negative correlation was observed between the expression of Mir-21-5p and the expression of Bax and caspase-3 genes.
Conclusion: The results show that HT probably increases the expression of Bax and Caspase 3 genes by reducing the expression of the miR-21-5p gene, thereby inducing apoptosis and inhibiting the proliferation of tumor cells.