Objective: Myricetin is a polyphenol flavonoid with nutraceutical values which is abundantly found as the main ingredient of various foods and beverages. It has been reported that the function of myricetin is to trigger apoptosis in several types of cancers. The present study intended to investigate the apoptotic effects of myricetin on MCF-7 breast cancer cells and to assess its possible mechanisms of action. Materials and Methods: MCF-7 breast cancer cells were assigned to four groups: Control (cells in normal condition); myricetin (cells treated with the IC50 dosage of myricetin) in three different incubation times (24, 48, and 72 h). The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, annexin V assay, flow cytometry, real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), and caspase-3 assay were used to estimate the apoptosis function of myricetin in breast cancer. Results: The expression levels of apoptosis-related genes caspase-3, caspase-8, caspase-9 , and the BAX /Bcl-2 ratio as well as the expression of p53, BRCA1, GADD45 genes were significantly increased following the treatment of MCF-7 breast cancer cells with myricetin. The annexin V assay demonstrated the significant expression of annexin which was also detected by flow cytometry. Conclusion: Myricetin efficiently induces apoptosis in MCF-7 breast cancer cells by evoking both extrinsic and intrinsic apoptotic pathways. Myricetin may exert its apoptotic effects on MCF-7 cells by inducing the BRCA1- GADD45 pathway.

Background and purpose: Ovarian cancer is the deadliest cancer in women. The main challenge in the inhibition of ovarian cancer cells is chemo-resistance. Seeking to overcome this issue, several strategies have been suggested, including the administration of natural products. Grape seed extract (GSE) is a good source of polyphenols and its anticancer effects have been reported by many studies. In this study we aimed to evaluate the effects of GSE on OVCAR-3, a chemo-resistant ovarian cancer line. Experimental approach: OVCAR-3 cells were treated with GSE (71 μg/mL) for 24 and 48 h. Cell viability and cell apoptosis were measured by MTT and flow cytometry. The real-time polymerase chain reaction was used to determine the expression of genes involved in the cell cycle (PTEN, DACT1, AKT, MTOR, GSK3B, C-MYC, CCND1, and CDK4) and apoptosis (BAX, BCl2, CASP3, 8 and 9). The expression of CASP3 protein was evaluated by the CASP3 assay. Findings / Results: The results showed that treatment of OVCAR-3 cells with GSE, increased the expression level of PTEN and DACT1 tumor suppressor genes, as well as apoptotic genes, CASP3, 8, and 9 ( P < 0.001). Also, the induction of tumor suppressor genes expression was associated with an increase in the expression of BAX/BCL2 gene ratio as pro- and anti-apoptotic genes. The expression of the genes involved in the cell cycle, CCND1 and CDK4, was inhibited ( P < 0.001). The results indicated that GSE induced cell apoptosis in a time-dependent manner ( P < 0.001). Also, the GSE treatment resulted in the CASP3 protein expression ( P < 0.001). Conclusion and implications: According to the results of this study, GSE may exert anti-tumorigenic effects on chemo-resistant OVCAR-3 ovarian cancer cells which might be mediated by the expression of tumor suppressor genes that interact with cell signaling pathways, cell cycle, and cell apoptosis. Hence, the consumption of GSE extract during chemotherapy may overcome part of chemo-resistance in ovarian cancer.

The facial artery is the main artery supplying the face occasionally. It gives three branches on the face, the inferior labial, the superior labial, and the lateral nasal, and terminates as the angular artery. Due to congenital vascular variations in the facial artery, it has been considered in the dissection of the head and neck region. During the dissection of a 65-year-old woman to expose this region, we discovered that the left facial artery is terminated by the superior labial artery after giving off the submental and inferior labial branches. At the level of the left oral commissure, the facial artery was attached to the buccinator muscle as connective tissue, with a noticeable decrease in diameter. The purpose of this study is to report a new variation of the facial artery that is particularly important for cadaver dissection, and head and neck surgeries, as well as for facial artery angiography.

No abstract