en Life Science Life Science مقاله پژوهشی Original Research Article <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size:16px;"><span style="font-family:Times New Roman;"><b><span style="background:#2d7f8f"><span style="color:white">Background & Objective:</span></span><b> </b>&nbsp;</b><span style="color:black">Today, colorectal cancer is a common pathology among nations. 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU), as a chemotherapeutic agent, triggers autophagy induction in cancer cells. <i>Prosopis farcta</i> (PF) induces potential anticancer properties via inherent phytochemical contents. In the current in-vitro investigation, the synergistic autophagy effects of PF fruit extract and 5-FU in colorectal cancer cell line (SW742) were assessed.</span><br> <b><span style="background:#2d7f8f"><span style="color:white"><span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt">&nbsp;Materials & Methods:</span></span></span></b> &nbsp;<span style="color:black"><span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt">PF fruits were collected, authenticated by a botanist, and processed to prepare a hydroalcoholic extract. SW742 cells were cultured and treated with IC50 concentrations of PF extract and 5-FU, both individually and in combination (as synergistic effects). Cell viability and cytotoxicity values were evaluated using standard assays. The interaction between PF and 5-FU was also investigated. Expression levels of Atg-7, Beclin-1, and LC3 were determined using the quantitative PCR (qPCR) technique.</span></span><br> <b><span lang="EN-IN"><span style="background:#2d7f8f"><span style="color:white">Results: </span></span></span>&nbsp;</b><span style="color:black"><span style="letter-spacing:-.1pt">Treatment with PF extract reduced (p<0.05) the viability of SW742 cells. Co-treatment of 5-FU with PF demonstrated a synergistic cytotoxic effect against cancer cells. Gene expression analysis revealed that PF extract alone downregulated the expression of Atg-7, Beclin-1, and LC3, while 5-FU treatment upregulated the associated expression levels. Combined therapy of PF and 5-FU modulated these gene expressions in a distinct pattern, suggesting interaction in autophagy regulation.</span></span><br> <b><span style="background:#2d7f8f"><span style="color:white">Conclusion: </span></span>&nbsp;</b><span style="color:black">PF fruit extract enhances the anticancer effect of 5-FU on colorectal cancer cells by modulating autophagy-related gene expression. These findings suggest that PF may be a potential natural adjuvant therapy in colorectal cancer treatment.</span></span></span></p> Autophagy, 5-Fluorouracil, Colorectal Neoplasms, Plant Extracts, SW42 Cells 179 187 http://journal.zums.ac.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-6931-3&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Amir Abdolmaleki enjoyanatomy@gmail.com 5200319475328460087105 5200319475328460087105 No Department of Operating Room, Nahavand School of Allied Medical Sciences, Hamadan University of Medical Sciences, Hamadan, Iran Mona Pazhouhi mona.pazhouhi@gmail.com 5200319475328460087106 5200319475328460087106 No Department of Anatomical Sciences, Medical School, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran Cyrus Jalili cjalili@yahoo.com 5200319475328460087107 5200319475328460087107 No Department of Anatomical Sciences, Medical School, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran Fuzieh Khani-Hemmatabadi fuziekhani@yahoo.com 5200319475328460087108 5200319475328460087108 Yes Department of Anatomical Sciences, Medical School, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran Shahram Miraghaei shahram.miraghaee@yahoo.com 5200319475328460087109 5200319475328460087109 No Medical Biology Research Center, Health Technology Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran Houshang Nemati hnemati_1375@yahoo.com 5200319475328460087110 5200319475328460087110 No Medical Biology Research Center, Health Technology Institute, Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran Shayan Heshmati shayanklh@gmail.com 5200319475328460087111 5200319475328460087111 No Student Research Committee of Kermanshah University of Medical Sciences, Kermanshah, Iran