Antioxidant Activity and Cytotoxicity Effect of Cocoa Beans Subjected to Different Processing Conditions in Human Lung Carcinoma Cells.

Deborah Bauer,Hilana Salete Silva Oliveira,Aristoteles Goes-Neto,Maria Gabriela Bello Koblitz,Joel Pimentel De Abreu,Anderson Junger Teodoro

doi:10.1155/2016/7428515

Abstract

Lung cancer is a common malignancy in men and the second leading cause of cancer-related mortality in men in the western world. Phenolic cocoa ingredients have a strong antioxidative activity and the potential to have a protective effect against cancer. In the present study, we have evaluated the influence of cocoa beans subjected to different processing conditions on cell viability and apoptosis of human lung cancer cells (A549). We measured the viability of lung cells treated with cocoa beans, unroasted slates (US), roasted slates (RS), unroasted well fermented (UWF) cocoa, and roasted well fermented (RWF) cocoa for 24 h. Using an MTT assay, we observed a decrease in the viability of A549 cells after treatment with cocoa bean extracts. Flow cytometer analysis revealed that cocoa beans increased the percentage of cells in sub-G1 phase and promoted up to twofold increase of apoptotic cells when compared to the control group. Taken together, the present study suggests that cocoa beans may have a protective effect against lung cancer.

Highlights

Lung cancer is a major health concern since it is one of the leading causes of death worldwide [1, 2]
The slate nibs were the supplement which caused the largest decrease in viability compared to control (34.45%, Figure 3), while cells exposed to unroasted slates (US) had the highest percentage of viability, 78.07%, at a concentration of 10 mg/mL (Figure 3(b))
Well fermented cocoa bean extract decreased the number of viable A549 cells within 48 hours

Summary

Introduction

Lung cancer is a major health concern since it is one of the leading causes of death worldwide [1, 2]. It is estimated that the annual incidence rate is nearly 1.23 million. In Brazil, it is the second most frequent type of cancer and it has the highest mortality rate, due to late diagnosis and the aggressiveness of the tumor type. In 80–90% of cases, it is caused by smoking and exposure to pollutants. The existing therapeutic strategies for cell lung cancer include surgery, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and physical therapy. The survival rate of nonsmall-cell lung cancer patients is less than 1% [3, 4]

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