• The Effect of Ivermectin On HT-29 Cells Apoptosis
  • Mohammad Hossein Gholami,1 Sima Orouei,2 Teimour Tabari,3 Negin Esfandiari,4 Reza Najafi,5,*
    1. Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kazerun Branch, Islamic Azad University, Kazerun, Iran
    2. Department of Biology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran
    3. Department of Clinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran
    4. Department of Food Hygiene and Quality Control, Division of Epidemiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
    5. Department of Pathobiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Urmia University, Urmia, Iran


  • Introduction: According to cancer statistics provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Agency for Research on Cancer (GLOBOCAN), cancer ranks as the second leading cause of death globally. Colorectal cancer is among the most frequent cancer types worldwide. Although cancer is more serious in the undeveloped and developing countries with low and mid gross domestic product (GDP), colorectal cancer has more incidence in developed countries. Ivermectin, primarily known as an anti-parasitic medication, is gaining attention for its potential role in cancer therapy. Research has shown that ivermectin may have anti-cancer properties by interfering with various cellular processes in cancer cells. It has been found to inhibit the growth and proliferation of cancer cells, induce programmed cell death (apoptosis), and interfere with cancer cell migration and invasion. The present study aims to assess the effect of ivermectin on the apoptosis of HT-29 cells, a major colorectal cancer cell line.
  • Methods: HT-29 cells were cultured in DMEM medium containing 10% FBS and treated with 0.2, 0.4, 0.8, 1.5, and 8 µM concentration of ivermectin and checked for their viability by MTT assay 72 hours later. To evaluate cell morphology, Giemsa staining and invert microscopy were used. Also, real-time PCR was incorporated to assess the expression of Bax, Bad, and Bcl-2 genes. All data were analyzed by SPSS version 27.
  • Results: IC50 of ivermectin on HT-29 cells was 0.8 µM. Maximum apoptotic effect was observed at 8µM eliminating 85% of HT-29 cells. Results of real-time PCR showed increased Bax and Bad and decreased Bcl-2 expression.
  • Conclusion: Based on the results of the present study, ivermectin can be a potential candidate in colorectal cancer cell treatment by inducing apoptosis in HT-29 cells. However, the clinical applicability of this finding should be assessed in further studies.
  • Keywords: HT-29, Apoptosis, Ivermectin