Abstract
BackgroundSome plants had been used in the treatment of cancer and one of these has attracted scientific interest, the Euphorbia tirucalli (E. tirucalli), used in the treatment of asthma, ulcers, warts has active components with activities scientifically proven as antimutagenic, anti-inflammatory and anticancer.MethodsWe evaluate the influence of the antitumoral fraction of the E. tirucalli latex in the larynx squamous cell carcinoma (Hep-2), on the morphology, cell proliferation and gene expression. The Hep-2 cells were cultivated in complete medium (MEM 10 %) and treated with E. tirucalli latex for 1, 3, 5 and 7 days. After statistically analyzing the proliferation of the tested cells, the cells were cultivated again for RNA extraction and the Rapid Subtractive Hybridization (RaSH) technique was used to identify genes with altered expression. The genes found using the RaSH technique were analyzed by Gene Ontology (GO) using Ingenuity Systems.ResultsThe five genes found to have differential expression were validated by real-time quantitative PCR. Though treatment with E. tirucalli latex did not change the cell morphology in comparison to control samples, but the cell growth was significantly decreased. The RaSH showed change in the expression of some genes, including ANXA1, TCEA1, NGFRAP1, ITPR1 and CD55, which are associated with inflammatory response, transcriptional regulation, apoptosis, calcium ion transport regulation and complement system, respectively. The E. tirucalli latex treatment down-regulated ITPR1 and up-regulated ANXA1 and CD55 genes, and was validated by real-time quantitative PCR.ConclusionsThe data indicate the involvement of E. tirucalli latex in the altered expression of genes involved in tumorigenic processes, which could potentially be applied as a therapeutic indicator of larynx cancer.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (doi:10.1186/s12906-016-1115-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
Highlights
Some plants had been used in the treatment of cancer and one of these has attracted scientific interest, the Euphorbia tirucalli (E. tirucalli), used in the treatment of asthma, ulcers, warts has active components with activities scientifically proven as antimutagenic, anti-inflammatory and anticancer
To investigate the effects of E. tirucalli in larynx squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC), we evaluated the influence of this herbal medicine on the morphology, cell proliferation and gene expression in cells epidermoid carcinoma of the larynx (Hep-2) cells
Pharmacological treatments The Hep-2 cells were subdivided into three groups: a) control that was not manipulated, b) the group that was submitted to the addition of vehicle and c) an experimental group where E. tirucalli latex was added at concentrations of 0.25 to 250 μg/ml
Summary
Some plants had been used in the treatment of cancer and one of these has attracted scientific interest, the Euphorbia tirucalli (E. tirucalli), used in the treatment of asthma, ulcers, warts has active components with activities scientifically proven as antimutagenic, anti-inflammatory and anticancer. Worldwide HNSCC is the fifth most common cancer and it accounts for about 6 % among all cancers [1] This tumor originates from various anatomic structures. The main risk factors for larynx squamous cell carcinoma (LSCC) are smoking and alcohol consumption [3]. History is another important risk factor for this cancer, suggesting that genetic factors may contribute to susceptibility of this disease [4]. Others aspects that can modify cancer risk factors of the head and neck are the polymorphisms in drug metabolizing enzymes (DMEs) and prevalence of variant genotypes of cytochrome P450 (CYP) 1A1, 1B1, 2E1 or glutathione-S-transferase M1 (null). Strong associations of the polymorphic genotypes of DMEs with cases of pharyngeal
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