CASP3 and breast cancer: With regard to o-coumaric acid, although studies are somewhat limited, existing data suggest it can trigger intrinsic apoptotic signaling: in MCF-7 breast cancer cells, treatment with o-coumaric acid upregulated caspase-3 and Bax, downregulated Bcl-2, and increased p53 and PTEN expression, while also interfering with cell cycle regulators (cyclin D1, CDK2) [46].