Abstract
Background: Ovarian cancer is the deadliest gynecologic cancer. Studies on the therapeutic properties of Ginkgo biloba and flunixin showed that these drugs, singly or in combination with other drugs, have anti-cancer activities. Different genes are involved in apoptosis regulation. The BIM gene is one of the most important regulators of this process. BIM has different roles, including cell cycle regulation, apoptosis induction, deoxyribonucleic acid recombination, chromosomal segregation, and cell aging. Methods: This study evaluated the viability percentage of the A2780s cell line with Ginkgo biloba and flunixin at different concentrations, compared to that of the control group. Then, the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values of Ginkgo biloba and flunixin were determined within 24 h. Then, the expression of the BIM gene was evaluated using a real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Results: The IC50 results showed that Ginkgo biloba and flunixin significantly reduced cell life (P < 0.01) depending on time and concentration. The results of real-time PCR showed that cell treatment with Ginkgo biloba and flunixin significantly increased BIM expression. Conclusions: The results of this experiment indicated that BIM gene expression was increased in cancer cells treated with Ginkgo biloba and flunixin, compared to that reported for control cells. Therefore, with further research in the future, these compounds can be used for the development of ovarian anti-cancer drugs.