Dandelion Root and Lemongrass Extracts Induce Apoptosis, Enhance Chemotherapeutic Efficacy, and Reduce Tumour Xenograft Growth In Vivo in Prostate Cancer.

Christopher Nguyen,Benjamin Scaria,Sahibjot Grewal,Kiruthika Baskaran,Siyaram Pandey,Ali Mehaidli,Ivan Ruvinov,Alaina Pupulin,Krishan Parashar,Caleb Vegh

doi:10.1155/2019/2951428

Christopher Nguyen, Benjamin Scaria + Show 8 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1155/2019/2951428

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Abstract

Many conventional chemotherapies have indicated side effects due to a lack of treatment specificity and are thus not suitable for long-term usage. Natural health products are well-tolerated and safe for consumption, and some have pharmaceutical uses particularly for their anticancer effects. We have previously reported the anticancer efficacy of dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) root and lemongrass (Cymbopogon citratus) extracts. However, their efficacy on prostate cancer and their interactions with standard chemotherapeutics have not been studied to determine if they will be suitable for adjuvant therapies. If successful, these extracts could potentially be used in conjunction with chemotherapeutics to minimize the risk of drug-related toxicity and enhance the efficacy of the treatment. We have demonstrated that both dandelion root extract (DRE) and lemongrass extract (LGE) exhibit selective anticancer activity. Importantly, DRE and LGE addition to the chemotherapeutics taxol and mitoxantrone was determined to enhance the induction of apoptosis when compared to individual chemotherapy treatment alone. Further, DRE and LGE were able to significantly reduce the tumour burden in prostate cancer xenograft models when administered orally, while also being well-tolerated. Thus, the implementation of these well-tolerated extracts in adjuvant therapies could be a selective and efficacious approach to prostate cancer treatment.

Highlights

Prostate cancer remains one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers among men worldwide, accounting for 1 in 5 new diagnoses [1]
We have evaluated the anticancer efficacy of both dandelion root extract (DRE) and lemongrass extract (LGE) in vivo where we have shown that these extracts were able to significantly and drastically reduce the tumour burden in mice with human prostate cancer xenografts
We have demonstrated the efficacy of DRE and LGE for inducing cell death selectively in prostate cancer cells

Summary

Introduction

Prostate cancer remains one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers among men worldwide, accounting for 1 in 5 new diagnoses [1]. Prostate cancer related fatality is associated with late diagnoses and progression to the metastatic castration-resistant stage [5] At this stage, common treatment approaches involve chemotherapy treatment including first-line therapies such as mitoxantrone and docetaxel [5]. Many chemotherapeutic treatment approaches have been developed, targeting vulnerabilities in cancerous cells to induce programmed cell death, known as apoptosis [7, 8] These treatments have shown efficacy, many adverse side effects have been observed in patients undergoing these treatments [6]. Cardiac toxicity has been observed in the usage of mitoxantrone treatment [9, 10] These side effects can be attributed to the nonspecific nature of the treatment for cancer, resulting in the targeting of healthy noncancerous cells. There is a great need for the development of treatment approaches that can avoid treatment-related toxicity and can be used on a long-term basis

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