Luteolin inhibited progression of MCF-7 breast cancer cells in the G1 phase and induced sub-G1 cell population, altered the morphology of the nucleus, raised the mRNA levels of death receptors such as DR5 and caspase and inhibited poly-ADP ribose polymerase, a key indicator that helps a cancer cell heal itself in a dose-dependent manner, and increased caspase-9/-8/-3 activity. This evidence concerns the gene CASP9 and breast carcinoma.