Background: Liver cancer is the second most common reason for cancer-related death globally, and thus, a major public health challenge. Plant-based drugs are promising therapeutic agents against cancers. Basil and Dracocephalum kotschyi extracts also exhibit therapeutic impact on various cancers. To assess the effects of the extract of Basil and Dracocephalum kotschyi on cell proliferation and BCL2 expression in the HepG2 cell line.
Materials and methods: IIn this experimental study, the HepG2 cell line was selected for treatment with the alcoholic extracts of Basil and Dracocephalum kotschyi. Cell proliferation was examined in the presence of various concentrations of the Basil and Dracocephalum kotschyi extracts by MTT assay. Moreover, the effect of the alcoholic extracts of Basil and Dracocephalum kotschyi on BCL2 expression was evaluated using quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR).
Results: Cell proliferation analyses showed anticancer characteristics of the alcoholic extracts of Basil and Dracocephalum kotschyi. In addition, treatment with the extracts of Basil and Dracocephalum kotschyi led to the decreased expression of BCL2 in HepG2 cell line.
Conclusion: These findings indicated that Basil and Dracocephalum kotschyi are promising candidates for future anticancer research.

Background: Prostate cancer is the second most prevalent cancer among men all over the world. Over the past 10 years, prostate cancer prevalence has increased in Iran. Growth factors have an important role in the regulation and growth of malignant and normal prostate cells. Therefore, the purpose of this investigation is to examine the association of the expression profile of IGF1, EGF, and FGF2 with prostate cancer in an Iranian male population.

Materials and methods: In this investigation, the quantitative real-time RT-PCR technique was applied to evaluate the expression profiles of IGF, EGF, and FGF2 in the peripheral blood samples of 40 patients with prostate cancer and 40 healthy individuals. Moreover, the relative expressions of IGF1, EGF, and FGF2 in various stages of disease were evaluated.
Results: Our obtained data indicated a significant increase in the expression of EGF and FGF2 in patients with prostate cancer compared with the healthy subjects (P = 0.02 and P = 0.009, respectively). In contrast, the expression level of IGF1 was not significantly different between the patients and controls (P = 0.052), but the expression level of IGF1 was lower in the patients' group. Additionally, it has been observed that IGF1, EGF, and FGF2 expression were directly associated with the stage of disease.
Conclusions: Our results suggest that EGF and FGF2 probably have important role in prostate cancer and were consistent with what had previously been reported. On the other hand, our data revealed no association between the expression of IGF1 and prostate cancer in the population studied.

Background: Breast cancer is the most prevalent malignancy among females worldwide, and its incidence is growing among Iranian women. Also, Iranian patients with breast cancer are younger than their Western counterparts. In this study, we aimed to investigate the effect of Dracocephalum kotschyi alcoholic extract on cell proliferation and viability, as well as the expression level of BCL2 and BAX genes in breast cancer cell lines. Dracocephalum kotschyi belongs to the Labiatae family, a wildflower that has long been used in Iranian traditional medicine.
Materials and methods: In this experimental research, the SKBR3 cell line was selected for treatment with the Dracocephalum kotschyi alcoholic extract. Cell proliferation and cell viability were evaluated in the presence of different concentrations of the Dracocephalum kotschyi alcoholic extract (10, 50, 100, and 500 µg/mL) using MTT-method. Additionally, the impact of the Dracocephalum kotschyi alcoholic extract on the expression of BCL2 and BAX genes was assessed using a quantitative real time-polymerase chain reaction.

Results: The obtained results indicated the anticancer characteristics of Dracocephalum kotschyi alcoholic extract (10, 50, 100, and 500 µg/mL) on cell proliferation and cell viability. In the presence of Dracocephalum kotschyi alcoholic extract, the half-maximal inhibitory concentration value of SKBR3 cells was 102.1 at 24 h. Moreover, Dracocephalum kotschyi alcoholic extract decreased the expression of BCL2 and increased the expression of BAX.