&lt;i&gt;Cynodon dactylon&lt;/i&gt; (L) Pers (Poaceae) root extract induces apoptotic cell death via the cyclin D1 pathway in human nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells &lt;i&gt;in vitro&lt;/i&gt; and &lt;i&gt;in vivo&lt;/i&gt;

Rui-Shan Wu,Jia-Ji Zhu,En-Hui Qiu

doi:10.4314/tjpr.v16i4.22

Abstract

Purpose: To investigate the activity of Cynodon dactylon root extract as a potential anticancer agent. Methods: Human nasopharyngeal carcinoma HNK-1 cells were treated with ethanol extract of C. dactylon roots. After treatment with C. dactylon root extract, cells were assessed for their cytotoxicity, metabolic status, apoptosis and cell cycle progression. The anticancer activity of the extract was also determined in vivo using a mouse model. Results : C. dactylon extract exhibited significant cytotoxicity and arrested cell cycle in HNK-1 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) data revealed that it also induced apoptotic cell death. Rb phosphorylation and mRNA levels of cyclin E were significantly reduced. Moreover, C. dactylon extract caused a significant reduction in tumor size and volume in vivo . Conclusion: C. dactylon root extract induces apoptosis in nasopharyngeal cancer cells via cyclin D1 pathway and inhibits tumor growth in vivo . Keywords: Cynodon dactylon , Anticancer, Cyclin D1 pathway, Apoptosis, Nasopharyngeal carcinoma

Highlights

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a discrete type of cancer that is common among 50- to 69year-old individuals
C. dactylon extract showed promise for suppressing the cell cycle during the transition from the G1 phase to the S phase, which was accompanied by cyclin D1 inactivation; this was further accompanied by a decrease in cyclin E expression, which explains the mechanism involved
We demonstrated that C. dactylon inhibits the proliferation of NPC cells in vitro

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) is a discrete type of cancer that is common among 50- to 69year-old individuals. The whole plant is believed to possess various medicinally active ingredients, and the plant extract shows antimicrobial and antihypertensive activities It has been used for the treatment of weak vision, urinary tract infection, calculi, and prostatitis. Nadkarni reported the use of C. dactylon roots by practitioners of traditional medicine in India for curing certain types of cancer [7]. The human NPC cell line HNK-1 was purchased from the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC; Rockville, MD, USA). The ethanolic extract of C. dactylon root was used in the present study. Cells were first subjected to treatment with MG132 (1.0 μM), insulin (200 nM), or LiCl (30 mM) for 1 h before extraction. Control cells were incubated in culture medium only. The permeability of tumor cells was increased using a buffer that was subsequently incubated with antibodies supplied with the kit. All variables were analyzed with Chisquare test, and Graph Pad Prism 6 was used for all statistical analyses

RESULTS

DISCUSSION

Findings

CONCLUSION

Conflict of Interest