Induction of programmed cell death in lung cancer cells by secondary metabolites of Nocardia carnea UTMC 863 as soil actinomycetes

Background: Apoptosis induction is one of the effective mechanisms in cancer therapy. So far, various natural sources have been identified for inducing apoptosis in cancer cells. This study proposed identifying promising active drug pharmacophores of soil actinomycetes with the capability of apoptosis induction in A549 cells, a human alveolar adenocarcinoma cell line. 
Methods: The crude extract of Nocardia carnea UTMC 863 was obtained from UTBC (University of Tehran Biocompound Collection). After 48 hours of exposure, cell viability, gene expression, and apoptosis rate were determined using MTT, quantitative real-time-PCR, and flow cytometry. 
Results: The MTT assay exhibited that the effective concentrations of UTMC863 and doxorubicin (positive control) were 24 µg/ml and 1 µM, respectively. UTMC 863 with a 24 µg/ml concentration and doxorubicin could induce apoptosis in the A549 cell line. Also, apoptosis-related gene expression increased in the UTMC863 group compared to the untreated group (p<0.01). 
Conclusions: The crude extract of Nocardia carnea UTMC 863 can induce apoptosis in A549 cells, and it may be one of the promising pharmacophores for cancer therapy.