Fig. 5

Ant, Cis, and their NPs triggered apoptosis in HepG2 and MCF7 cells. A Fluorescence microscopy displays the morphology of HepG2 and MCF7 stained with acridine orange/ ethidium bromide. Insets represent higher magnification of some selected cells. Scale bars = 20 µm, control (Cnt). B qPCR results show differential expression of the apoptotic gene Bax, the anti-apoptotic gene Bcl2, and their ration (Bax/Bcl2) in MCF7 and HepG2 cells. Values are given as mean ± SEM (n = 3/group). Various letters [a (highest value)–f (lowest value)] denote significant differences at P < 0.05. All groups were compared to each other