Fatma ÇİFÇİ, Dilan AŞKIN ÖZEK, Hande YÜCE, Yasemin BERBEROĞLU, Songül ÜNÜVAR
Journal of Research in Pharmacy - 2026;30(4):993-1006
Objectives: Neuroblastoma is a common childhood cancer. Amygdalin, a fruit seed -derived glycoside with reported anticancer activity, has not been studied in neuroblastoma. This study assessed its cytotoxic and anti-migratory effects on SH-SY5Y and L929 cells and its impact on apoptosis- and autophagy-related gene expression. Materials and Methods: In this study, SH-SY5Y and L929 cells were treated with increasing concentrations of amygdalin (0.5 -50 mM), after which cell viability was assessed by MTS and cell migration by wound healing assay. The expression levels of genes related to autophagy and apoptosis were measured using RT-PCR. Results: Amygdalin showed a higher cytotoxic effect in SH-SY5Y cells (IC??=3.27 mM) compared to L929 cells (IC??=7.24 mM) at a lower concentration. Amygdalin significantly increased wound area in SH-SY5Y cells by inhibiting cell migration (26.36+/-1.98% at 24 h; 62.65+/-9.16% at 48 h), but had a limited effect on L929 cells (20.32+/-1.73% at 24 h; 19.79+/-1.40% at 48 h). Amygdalin treatment in L929 cells significantly increased Bcl-2 and Cas-8 expression levels compared to the control, while decreasing Cas-3 and Bax expression; furthermore, Beclin-1 and PI3K expression were significantly decreased, while mTOR expression was significantly increased compared to the control group. In SH-SY5Y cells, amygdalin treatment significantly increased Bax, Cas-3, Cas-8, PI3K, mTOR, and Beclin-1 expression compared to the control, while significantly decreasing Bcl-2 expression. Conclusion: Although amygdalin upregulates survival-related genes through compensatory responses in SH-SY5Y cells, the marked increase in pro-apoptotic markers suggests that apoptotic signaling is dominant in SH-SY5Y cells and points to a potential anticancer effect.
