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Expression of Concern

Expression of Concern: Chemopreventive Activity of Ferulago angulate against Breast Tumor in Rats and the Apoptotic Effect of Polycerasoidin in MCF7 Cells: A Bioassay-Guided Approach

  • The PLOS One Editors

After this article [1] was published, concerns were raised regarding results presented in Figs 6, 9, and 12.

Specifically:

  • The Fig 6A Caspase 3 panel appears to partially overlap with the Fig 6B Caspase 3 panel despite being used to represent different experimental conditions.
  • The following panels appear similar despite being used to represent different experimental results:
    • Fig 9A in [1] and Fig 10 Control in [2,3]
    • Fig 12 p21 and Fig 12 p27 in [1]
  • Fig 12 Caspase 7 lanes 1 and 2 appear more similar than would be expected from independent results

In addition to the above concerns, the tumor volume for group II in Table 2 is reported as 203181 mm3 which exceeds both internationally accepted animal welfare standards and reasonably expected tumor volumes in rats.

PLOS is investigating the concerns in accordance with COPE guidance and journal policies, but we anticipate a delay based on the initial response from a corresponding author. Meanwhile, the PLOS One Editors issue this Expression of Concern.

References

  1. 1. Karimian H, Fadaeinasab M, Zorofchian Moghadamtousi S, Hajrezaei M, Razavi M, Safi SZ, et al. Chemopreventive Activity of Ferulago angulate against Breast Tumor in Rats and the Apoptotic Effect of Polycerasoidin in MCF7 Cells: A Bioassay-Guided Approach. PLoS One. 2015;10(5):e0127434. pmid:25996383
  2. 2. Hajrezaie M, Paydar M, Looi CY, Moghadamtousi SZ, Hassandarvish P, Salga MS, et al. Apoptotic effect of novel Schiff based CdCl₂(C₁₄H₂₁N₃O₂) complex is mediated via activation of the mitochondrial pathway in colon cancer cells. Sci Rep. 2015;5:9097. pmid:25764970
  3. 3. Hajrezaie M, Paydar M, Looi CY, Moghadamtousi SZ, Hassandarvish P, Salga MS. Correction: Corrigendum: Apoptotic effect of novel Schiff Based CdCl2(C14H21N3O2) complex is mediated via activation of the mitochondrial pathway in colon cancer cells. Sci Rep. 2017;7:46793.

Citation: The PLOS One Editors (2026) Expression of Concern: Chemopreventive Activity of Ferulago angulate against Breast Tumor in Rats and the Apoptotic Effect of Polycerasoidin in MCF7 Cells: A Bioassay-Guided Approach. PLoS One 21(4): e0347381. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0347381

Published: April 16, 2026

Copyright: © 2026 The PLOS One Editors. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.