Berberine induces apoptosis in breast cancer cells (MCF-7) through mitochondrial-dependent pathway.

Bioactive compounds found in many plant species have been used in Chinese, Unani, and Indian ayurvedic medicine. Accumulative evidences in both in vitro and in vivo studies using berberine demonstrated anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties in different cancer cells. In the present study, a putative compound from commercial sample was purified by chromatographic techniques.