Tehran University of Medical Sciences Basic & Clinical Cancer Research 2228-6527 14 1 2023 02 14 28 36 Farah Golamirad Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran. Saber Zahri Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran. Arash Abdolmaleki 1 Department of Engineering Sciences, Faculty of Advanced Technologies, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Namin, Iran. 2 Bio Science and Biotechnology Research center (BBRC), Sabalan University of Advanced Technologies (SUAT), Namin, Iran. Abolfazl Bezaatpour Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran. Seyed Mehdi Razavi Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, University of Mohaghegh Ardabili, Ardabil, Iran. 2022 10 02 2022 11 28 Background: Vanadium is an essential dietary microelement that plays a key role in the metabolic pathways and has anti-neoplastic effects. In this regard, vanadium oxide 3-methoxy salen complex was produced and its anticancer effects were evaluated. Methods: Schiff bases produced from equivamounts of Vanadyl acetylacetonate [VO(acac)2] in methanol were used to make a vanadium oxide 3-methoxy salen complex. Then, antioxidant property of compound, cell viability and cytotoxicity assay, DNA fragmentation analysis and determination of the apoptosis pathway genes were evaluated. Results: Result showed that compound with an RC50 value of 126.3 µM, the compound demonstrated considerable free radical scavenging activity. The combination strongly suppressed the viability and proliferation of HeLa and McCoy cell lines in a dose-dependent manner, with IC50 values of 213 µM and 175 µM, respectively. When the viability and cytotoxicity values of the treated cells were compared, it was discovered that the cells had died of apoptosis, which was validated by DNA fragmentation analysis. Capspase 3, Bcl2 antagonist/killer, and Bcl2 associated X protein (Bax) gene expression levels all increased significantly in a quantitative investigation of apoptotic pathway genes, with 2-CT values of 2.36, 2.63, and 3.18, respectively. Conclusion: In malignant cell lines, lower quantities of the complex caused programmed cell death. This potential of complex can be used in cancer chemoprevention and cancer therapy. https://bccr.tums.ac.ir/index.php/bccrj/article/view/450