Abstract
Urtica dioica (UD), commonly known as “stinging nettle”, is a herbaceous flowering plant that is a widely used agent in traditional medicine worldwide. Several formulations of UD leaf extract have been reported to exhibit anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, with anticancer potential. The current study investigated the possible anticancer properties of nettle tea, prepared from Urtica dioica leaves, on acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines, and deciphered the underlying molecular mechanisms. Treatment of AML cell lines (U-937 and KG-1) with UD aqueous leaf extract resulted in a dose- and time-dependent inhibition of proliferation, an increase in apoptotic hallmarks such as phosphatidylserine flipping to the outer membrane leaflet, and DNA fragmentation as revealed by cell-death ELISA and cell-cycle analysis assays. Apoptosis induction in U937 cells involves alterations in the expression of Bax and Bcl-2 upon exposure to nettle tea. Furthermore, the chemical composition of UD aqueous extract indicated the presence of multiple chemical agents, such as flavonoids and phenolics, mainly patuletin, m/p-hydroxybenzoic acid, and caffeic acid, among others, to which the pro-apoptotic and anti-tumor effects may be attributed.
Highlights
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is considered the most common type of acute leukemia among adults, accounting for around 80% of leukemia cases in this population [1]
The current study aimed to investigate the anti-proliferative activity of nettle tea, which is the aqueous Urtica dioica leaf extract, on acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines and to decipher the underlying molecular pathways involved in U937 cells
Urtica dioica (UD) aqueous extract was used on U937 and KG-1 cells at different percentages ranging from 0.4%
Summary
Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is considered the most common type of acute leukemia among adults, accounting for around 80% of leukemia cases in this population [1]. Combinations of chemotherapeutic drugs constitute the backbone of AML treatment, with a wide spectrum of different side effects, starting with anemia, hair loss, and diarrhea, in addition to nervous and fertility problems later [3]. Urtica dioica (UD), a member of the Urticaceae family, is a herbaceous, perennial, and annual-flowering plant that grows in wet, rich soils with a height ranging between 0.5–1 m. It has fleshy, drooping, serrated, and roughly heart-shaped leaves, and the leaves and stem are covered with small, erect stinging hairs, for which the plant is known as the “stinging nettle” [8]. These stinging hairs contain high concentrations of formic acid and histamines that induce a burning sensation upon friction, an attribute that led to the
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