• Register
  • Login

Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

  • Home
  • Journal Info
    • About the Journal
    • Aims and Scope
    • Editorial Team
    • Indexing & Abstracting
    • Privacy Statement
    • Contact us
  • Issues
    • Current
    • Archives
  • New Submissions
  • Author Guidelines
  • Policies & Process
    • Peer Review
    • Article Processing Charge (APC)
    • Publication Ethics
    • Open Access Policy
    • Plagiarism
    • Retraction Policies
    • Archiving
    • Post-publication discussion and correction
  • Ethical Considration
Advanced Search
  1. Home
  2. Archives
  3. Vol. 22 No. 1 (2026): IJPS_Volume22_Issue1(2026)
  4. Research/Original Articles

Vol. 22 No. 1 (2026)

January 2026

The cytotoxic effect of Berberine Chloride and its impact on the expression of regulatory miR-let-7a, a tumor suppressor, in the human ovarian cancer cell line A2780

  • Mahsa Shahrabi Farahani
  • Parichehr Hanachi
  • Shahrdad Mohebali
  • Roshanak Zarrin Ghalami

Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Vol. 22 No. 1 (2026), 26 January 2026 , Page 299-308
https://doi.org/10.22037/ijps.v22i1.47451 Published: 2026-10-06

  • View Article
  • Download
  • Cite
  • References
  • Statastics
  • Share

Abstract

Ovarian cancer poses significant challenges as one of the leading causes of death among women with gynecological malignancies. This study investigates berberine chloride's efficacy in ovarian cancer treatment and its impact on miR-let7a expression. A2780 ovarian cancer cells were treated with various concentrations of berberine chloride, and cell viability was assessed by MTT assay. Additionally, miR-let7a expression levels were quantified by RT-PCR. Berberine chloride exhibited significant lethality against ovarian cancer cells, with the highest efficacy at 200 µmol (p<0.001). Lower concentrations (12.5 µmol and 25 µmol) significantly increased miR-let7a expression (p<0.001). Flow cytometry was employed to identify the optimal dose for further analysis. The findings demonstrate that berberine chloride is a potential therapeutic agent for ovarian cancer, effectively inducing cell death and upregulating miR-let7a expression.

Keywords:
  • Berberine Chloride
  • Cytotoxic
  • Ovarian Cancer
  • miR-let7-a
  • IJPS_Volume22_Issue1_Pages299-308

How to Cite

Shahrabi Farahani, M., Hanachi, P., Mohebali, S., & Zarrin Ghalami, R. (2026). The cytotoxic effect of Berberine Chloride and its impact on the expression of regulatory miR-let-7a, a tumor suppressor, in the human ovarian cancer cell line A2780. Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 22(1), 299–308. https://doi.org/10.22037/ijps.v22i1.47451
  • ACM
  • ACS
  • APA
  • ABNT
  • Chicago
  • Harvard
  • IEEE
  • MLA
  • Turabian
  • Vancouver
  • Endnote/Zotero/Mendeley (RIS)
  • BibTeX

References

1. Khanlarkhani N, Azizi E, Amidi F, Khodarahmian M, Salehi E, Pazhohan A, et al. Metabolic risk factors of ovarian cancer: a review. JBRA Assisted Reproduction. 2022;26(2):335.

2. Ali AT, Al-ani O, Al-ani F. Epidemiology and risk factors for ovarian cancer. Menopause Rev. 2023;22(2):93–104.

3. Leva GD, Croce CM. Roles of small RNAs in tumor formation. Trends in Molecular Medicine. 2010 Jun 1;16(6):257–67.

4. De Cecco L, Bagnoli M, Chiodini P, Pignata S, Mezzanzanica D. Prognostic evidence of the miRNA-based ovarian cancer signature MiROvaR in independent datasets. Cancers. 2021;13(7):1544.

5. Peng Y, Croce CM. The role of MicroRNAs in human cancer. Signal transduction and targeted therapy. 2016;1(1):1–9.

6. Kong YW, Ferland-McCollough D, Jackson TJ, Bushell M. microRNAs in cancer management. The lancet oncology. 2012;13(6):e249–58.

7. Xiang G, Cheng Y. MiR-126-3p inhibits ovarian cancer proliferation and invasion via targeting PLXNB2. Reproductive Biology. 2018 Sep 1;18(3):218–24.

8. MicroRNA let-7 and viral infections: focus on mechanisms of action | Cellular & Molecular Biology Letters [Internet]. [cited 2025 May 30]. Available from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/S11658-022-00317-9

9. Chirshev E, Oberg KC, Ioffe YJ, Unternaehrer JJ. Let-7 as biomarker, prognostic indicator, and therapy for precision medicine in cancer. Clin Trans Med. 2019 Aug 28;8(1):24.

10. The Role of miRNA in Ovarian Cancer: an Overview | Reproductive Sciences [Internet]. [cited 2025 May 30]. Available from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s43032-021-00717-w

11. Hanachi P, Othman F, MOTALEB GR. Effect of Berberis vulgaris aqueous extract on the apoptosis, sodium and potassium in hepatocarcinogenic rats. 2008;

12. Hanachi P, Kua S, Asmah R, Motalleb G, Fauziah O. Cytotoxic effect of Berberis vulgaris fruit extract on the proliferation of human liver cancer cell line (HepG2) and its antioxidant properties. 2006;

13. Mohebali S, Nasri S, Kamalinejhad M, Noori AS. Antinociceptive & Anti-Inflammatory effects of Berberis vulgaris l. root’s hydro alcoholic extract and determination of it’s possible antinociceptive mechanism in male mice. 2011;

14. Almatroodi SA, Alsahli MA, Rahmani AH. Berberine: an important emphasis on its anticancer effects through modulation of various cell signaling pathways. Molecules. 2022;27(18):5889.

15. Li J, Liu F, Jiang S, Liu J, Chen X, Zhang S, et al. Berberine hydrochloride inhibits cell proliferation and promotes apoptosis of non-small cell lung cancer by suppressing the MMP2 and Bcl-2/Bax signaling pathways. Oncology Letters. 2018 May 1;15(5):7409–14.

16. Li Y, Wang F, Liu T, Lv N, Yuan X, Li P. WISP1 induces ovarian cancer via the IGF1/αvβ3/Wnt axis. J Ovarian Res. 2022 Aug 13;15(1):94.

17. A Mechanistic Review on How Berberine Use Combats Diabetes and Related Complications: Molecular, Cellular, and Metabolic Effects [Internet]. [cited 2025 May 30]. Available from: https://www.mdpi.com/1424-8247/17/1/7

18. Tian E, Sharma G, Dai C. Neuroprotective Properties of Berberine: Molecular Mechanisms and Clinical Implications. Antioxidants. 2023 Oct;12(10):1883.

19. Sengupta D, Chowdhury KD, Chatterjee S, Sarkar A, Paul S, Sur PK, et al. Modulation of adenylate cyclase signaling in association with MKK3/6 stabilization under combination of SAC and berberine to reduce HepG2 cell survivability. Apoptosis. 2017 Nov 1;22(11):1362–79.

20. Agnarelli A, Natali M, Garcia-Gil M, Pesi R, Tozzi MG, Ippolito C, et al. Cell-specific pattern of berberine pleiotropic effects on different human cell lines. Scientific reports. 2018;8(1):10599.

21. Zarringhalami R. Investigation of Total Phenolic Content of Tilia dasystyla and Polygonatum orientale Desf Extracts and Their Cytotoxic Effect on the Osteogenic Sarcoma (Saos-2) Cancer Cell Line. International Journal of Cancer Management. 2020;13(2).

22. Zarringhalami R, Hanachi P, Tamijani RR. Cytotoxic Effect of Tilia dasystyla and Polygonatum orientale Desf Extracts on AGS and SKOV-3 Cancer Cell Lines: Effect of Tilia dasystyla and Polygonatum orientale Desf on AGS and SKOV-3 Cancer. Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 2020; 16(4):9–16.

23. Hanachi P, Salehizadeh S, Ramezani R, Zarringhalami R. Comparison of antioxidant and anti-bacterial activities of Ocimum basilicum and Impatiens walleriana and their anticancer properties on SKOV-3 cancer cell line. Journal of food science and technology (Iran). 2020 Nov 10;17(106):95–107.

24. Hanachi P, Fakhrnezhad FR, Zarringhalami R, Orhan IE. Cytotoxicity of Ocimum basilicum and Impatiens walleriana Extracts on AGS and SKOV-3 cancer cell lines by flow cytometry analysis. 2021;

25. Shen Y, Vignali P, Wang R. Rapid profiling cell cycle by flow cytometry using concurrent staining of DNA and mitotic markers. Bio-protocol. 2017;7(16):e2517–e2517.

26. Zhang Y, Liu X, Yu M, Xu M, Xiao Y, Ma W, et al. Berberine inhibits proliferation and induces G0/G1 phase arrest in colorectal cancer cells by downregulating IGF2BP3. Life Sciences. 2020 Nov 1;260:118413.

27. Berberine in combination with cisplatin induces necroptosis and apoptosis in ovarian cancer cells | Biological Research [Internet]. [cited 2025 May 30]. Available from: https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s40659-019-0243-6

28. Mohebali S, Nasri S, Asghari S, Karimi Dehbehi F, Heydarizad M, Kordestani F, et al. Antinociceptive and Anti-Inflammatory Effects of Matricaria Chamomilla L. in Male Mice. Complementary Medicine Journal. 2013 Sep 10;3(2):451–61.

29. Hanachi P, Ghorbani N, Abadi HSA, Zarringhalami R, Kiarostami K. Evaluation of antioxidant and anticancer effects of Lavandula angustifolia and Melissa officinalis on HeLa, OVCAR-3 and MCF-7 cancer cell lines. 2021;

30. Li J, Zhang S, Wu L, Pei M, Jiang Y. Berberine inhibited metastasis through miR-145/MMP16 axis in vitro. Journal of Ovarian Research. 2021;14:1–9.

  • Abstract Viewed: 33 times
  • IJPS_Volume22_Issue1_Pages299-308 Downloaded: 20 times

Download Statastics

  • Linkedin
  • Twitter
  • Facebook
  • Google Plus
  • Telegram

Developed By

Open Journal Systems

Information

  • For Readers
  • For Authors
  • For Librarians
  • Home
  • Archives
  • Submissions
  • About the Journal
  • Editorial Team
  • Contact

Creative Commons License
This journal (and its contents) is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

Print ISSN: 1735-2444

Online ISSN: 2252-0457

Powered by OJSPlus