Abstract
BackgroundChemoprevention, which includes the use of synthetic or natural agents (alone or in combination) to block the development of cancer in human beings, is an extremely promising strategy for cancer prevention. Cinnamon is one of the most widely used herbal medicines with diverse biological activities including anti-tumor activity. In the present study, we have reported the anti-neoplastic activity of cinnamon in cervical cancer cell line, SiHa.MethodsThe aqueous cinnamon extract (ACE-c) was analyzed for its cinnamaldehyde content by HPTLC analysis. The polyphenol content of ACE-c was measured by Folin-Ciocalteau method. Cytotoxicity analysis was performed by MTT assay. We studied the effect of cinnamon on growth kinetics by performing growth curve, colony formation and soft agar assays. The cells treated with ACE-c were analyzed for wound healing assay as well as for matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) expression at mRNA and protein level by RT-PCR and zymography, respectively. Her-2 protein expression was analyzed in the control and ACE-c treated samples by immunoblotting as well as confocal microscopy. Apoptosis studies and calcium signaling assays were analyzed by FACS. Loss of mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) in cinnamon treated cells was studied by JC-1 staining and analyzed by confocal microscopy as well as FACS.ResultsCinnamon alters the growth kinetics of SiHa cells in a dose-dependent manner. Cells treated with ACE-c exhibited reduced number of colonies compared to the control cells. The treated cells exhibited reduced migration potential that could be explained due to downregulation of MMP-2 expression. Interestingly, the expression of Her-2 oncoprotein was significantly reduced in the presence of ACE-c. Cinnamon extract induced apoptosis in the cervical cancer cells through increase in intracellular calcium signaling as well as loss of mitochondrial membrane potential.ConclusionCinnamon could be used as a potent chemopreventive drug in cervical cancer.
Highlights
Chemoprevention, which includes the use of synthetic or natural agents to block the development of cancer in human beings, is an extremely promising strategy for cancer prevention
We have reported the putative mechanism of cancer cell growth inhibition by aqueous cinnamon extract (ACE-c), from the bark of Cinnamomum cassia L. family Lauraceae, in a human cervical cancer cell line, SiHa
Cinnamon treatment alters growth kinetics of SiHa cells Aqueous extract of cinnamon prepared from C. cassia (ACE-c) was analyzed for the presence of cinnamaldehyde as well as polyphenols to ensure the quality and purity of the preparation [see Additional file 1: Figs
Summary
Chemoprevention, which includes the use of synthetic or natural agents (alone or in combination) to block the development of cancer in human beings, is an extremely promising strategy for cancer prevention. Cinnamon is one of the most widely used herbal medicines with diverse biological activities including anti-tumor activity. We have reported the anti-neoplastic activity of cinnamon in cervical cancer cell line, SiHa. Cervical cancer, which accounts for the second most common malignancy among women worldwide, is highly radio-resistant, often resulting in local treatment failure [1]. Cinnamaldehyde, the bioactive component of cinnamon, has been shown to inhibit proliferation of several human cancer cell lines including breast, leukemia, ovarian, and lung tumor cells [24]. We reported a comparative analysis of cytotoxic effect of aqueous extract of cinnamon (ACE) from C. zeylanicum with that of commercial cinnamaldehyde on a variety of cell lines [23]. Compared to the commercial cinnamaldehyde, ACE proved to be more cytotoxic owing to the presence of polyphenolic compounds, besides cinnamaldehyde, that may act synergistically to induce enhanced cytotoxicity
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