Tehran University of Medical Sciences Basic & Clinical Cancer Research 2228-6527 4 1&2 2013 12 17 11 15 EN Motahareh Mortazavi Anatomical Sciences Department, Medicine Faculty, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran Mehryar Habibi Roudkenar Blood Transfusion Research Center, High Institute in Research Blood Transfusion Organization, Tehran, Iran Abbas Delazar Pharmacognosy Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tabriz University of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran Raheleh Halabian Blood Transfusion Research Center, High Institute in Research Blood Transfusion Organization, Tehran, Iran Sara Ansari Anatomical Sciences Department, Medicine Faculty, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran Zohreh Alizadeh Anatomical Sciences Department, Medicine Faculty, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran Amaneh Mohammadi Roushandeh Anatomical Sciences Department, Medicine Faculty, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran 2012 10 06 2013 02 23 Background: Herbal medicine is a new complementary strategy for treating diseases such as cancer. However, its mechanism of action is not clear yet. This study investigates antitumor efficacy of Polygonum avicular extract on MCF-7 cell line. Methods: MCF-7 cells were treated with different concentrations of (50, 100, 150, 200, 250, 300,350 400 ng/µl) Polygonum avicular at different time intervals (6, 12, 24, and 48 hrs). In order to evaluate the expression level of FasL and Bcl2 genes, RT-PCR technique was employed. Results: The obtained results demonstrate that expression of FasL gene was increased in Polygonum avicular treated cells in comparison to control group. Down-regulation of Bcl2 expression was observed during the treatment. Conclusion: Polygonum aviculare herbal extract may induce apoptosis through up-regulation of FasL and down-regulation of Bcl2 gene, however, its complete mechanism of action must be elucidated. https://bccr.tums.ac.ir/index.php/bccrj/article/view/38 https://bccr.tums.ac.ir/index.php/bccrj/article/download/38/pdf