Abstract
Rubia cordifolia Linn, which belongs to the Rubiaceae family, is a well-known herb used in Ayurvedic medicine. In the present study, we investigated the influence of a methanolic extract (RC) on the induction of apoptosis in HEp-2 (human laryngeal carcinoma) cell line, as evidenced by cytotoxicity, morphological changes and modification in the levels of pro-oxidants. Inhibition of cell proliferation and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) release increased in a time and dose-dependent manner. Further, reduced glutathione (GSH), glutathione transferase (GST) and protein levels decreased and lipid peroxidation increased significantly on RC treatment in a dose dependent manner when compared to controls. Based on the results we determined the optimal dose as 30 mg/ ml and the apoptotic effect of RC extract (30 mg/ml) on HEp-2 cells was confirmed by fluorescent microscopy and transmission electron microscopy (TEM) based on morphological and ultrastructural changes. RC extract suppressed the proliferation of HEp-2 oral cancer cells inducing apoptotic cell death in vitro. These results point to potential of RC extract as an agent for the treatment of laryngeal squamous cell carcinoma.
Highlights
Cancer of the larynx is the most common type of head and neck cancer
We investigated the influence of a methanolic extract (RC) on the induction of apoptosis in HEp-2 cell line, as evidenced by cytotoxicity, morphological changes and modification in the levels of pro-oxidants
The results showed that the antiproliferative activity of Rubia cordifolia (RC) at the concentrations used in the study was completely due to killing and not by inhibition of cell division
Summary
The high incidence of larynx cancer is primarily attributable to the habit of tobacco, betel quid chewing and alcohol consumption It was estimated by NCI’s SEER Cancer Statistics Review that among Asians, 2.4 per 100,000 men and 0.3 per 100,000 women were diagnosed in 2003-2007. The most widely practiced of these include the Unani, Ayurveda & Siddha and the Chinese system of medicine that have originated from the Arab, India and China respectively. These medicinal systems have identified more than 700 individual herbal extracts as well as several drug preparations which claim to treat and/or prevent several diseases including cancer (Shafi et al, 2009)
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