Evaluation of Cytotoxic Effects of Camellia sinensis Extract on Breast Cancer Cells

Abstract

Breast cancer is one of the most common cancers in women worldwide. Human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 (HER2) is an important target in therapeutic applications for the treatment of breast cancer. In this study, we evaluated the cytotoxic effects of Camellia sinensis extract. Leaves of Camellia sinensis were extracted with 80% ethanol (EtOH) and subsequently fractionated with n-hexane and ethyl acetate (EtOAc) solvents. To evaluate the cytotoxic effect in vitro, we performed a Sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay on the MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line. The study also evaluated the inhibitory effects on the HER2 enzyme through molecular docking of the main catechin compounds in Camellia sinensis. The results indicated that the total EtOH extract had the strongest cytotoxic effect on breast cancer cell lines, with an IC₅₀ of 69.15±2.35 μg/mL. Additionally, the EtOAc-fractionated extracts also had strong cytotoxic activity against the MCF-7 human breast cancer cell line, with an IC₅₀ value of 23.45±2.73 μg/mL. The molecular docking results demonstrated that the catechin compounds in green tea had strong inhibitory potential against the HER2 enzyme. Our findings indicated that the EtOAc-fractionated extracts of Camellia sinensis leaves had strong cytotoxic effects on breast cancer cells. Therefore, further studies are needed to evaluate the potential of green tea and its catechin compounds in the treatment of breast cancer.