en Morphometry Morphometry Original Original <div style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Introduction:</strong> Thyroid cancer is the most prevalent endocrine malignancy tumor, and its incidence is increasing. Chemotherapy drugs like Paclitaxel (PTX) are a common treatment for cancer; however, they have many adverse effects. Plants are a source of anticancer agents. The present study assessed the cytotoxic effects of hydro-alcoholic extract in comparison with those of paclitaxel on Papillary Thyroid Cancer (PTC) cell line.<br> <strong>Methods:</strong> PTC cell line was treated by different concentrations of extract and paclitaxel for 24, 48, and 72 h. Cytotoxicity was examined through Trypan blue and clonogenic assays. Acridine Orange/Ethidium Bromide (AO/EB) staining was used for detecting apoptotic cells. The observations were statistically tabulated and analyzed.&nbsp;<br> <strong>Results:</strong> The Trypan blue staining results suggested that hydro-alcoholic extract had a cytotoxic effect on PTC cells. Our results of AO/EB staining revealed that the hydro-alcoholic extract of Hull-Less Seed Pumpkin (HLSP) in the concentration of &ge;100 &mu;l/mL induced significant apoptosis in the PTC cultured cell (P<0.05). In addition, the AO/EB staining data suggested an increase in the number of apoptotic cells with increasing the concentration of extract and paclitaxel. The clonogenic assay results indicated a decrease in colonies by increasing the concentration. Comparing the groups treated by paclitaxel or HLSP extract, with the control group revealed significant differences between them (P<0.05).<br> <strong>Conclusion:</strong> The HLSP extract had a cytotoxic effect on the human PTC cell line. Based on the adverse effects of chemotherapy drugs, this extract can be considered as a beneficial agent for PTC treatment.</div> Thyroid carcinoma, Cucurbita, Paclitaxel, Pumpkins, Apoptosis 55 62 http://anatomyjournal.ir/browse.php?a_code=A-10-214-1&slc_lang=en&sid=1 Zoleikha Azari fereshteh.azari90@gmail.com 10031947532846003959 10031947532846003959 No Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran. Arash Zamini Arashzamini34@gmail.com 10031947532846003960 10031947532846003960 No Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran. Sara Dabirian Sdabirian768@gmail.com 10031947532846003961 10031947532846003961 No Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, School of Pharmacy, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran. Mojtaba Mehrdad mehrdadmogtaba65@gmail.com 10031947532846003962 10031947532846003962 No Department of Endocrinology, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran. Jamalali Olfati jamalaliolfati@gmail.com 10031947532846003963 10031947532846003963 No Department of Horticultural, Faculty of Agriculture Science, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht,Iran. Ideh Dadgaran dadgarani@gmail.com 10031947532846003964 10031947532846003964 No Medical Educational Research Centre, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran. Mohammad Hadi Bahadori mohammad.hbahadori@gmail.com 10031947532846003965 10031947532846003965 Yes Cellular and Molecular Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.