P-072 - Effects of natural substances from Boswellia sacra and Nerium oleander (breastin) in colon and pancreatic cancer

Abstract

Introduction: Colon cancer is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and it accounts approximately 10-15% of all cancer deaths each year, while pancreatic cancer is the fourth leading cause of cancer deaths, accounting 6% of all cancer-related deaths. Natural products are becoming an important research area for drug discovery and have been used for the treatment of various diseases. They exhibit anticarcinogenic properties by interfering with the development and progression of cancer. Boswellia sacra has exhibited tumor-cell specific apoptosis and suppresses tumor aggressiveness in human breast cancer cell lines. Nerium oleander is determined to have cytotoxic effects over some types of cancer cells. The present study aimed to evaluate the outcome of treating colon and pancreatic carcinoma cell lines with the above two natural substances, Boswellia sacra and Nerium oleander (breastin). Methods: The products were tested with HPLC or LC-MS for identification of active substances (boswellic acids and oleandrin/oleandrigenin respectively). HCT-116 (colon carcinoma) and PANC-1 (pancreatic) cell lines were then cultured with the above substances in different concentrations for 24 and 48h. Viability assays were performed by using methyl-tetrazolium dye (MTT) and statistical analysis followed (t-test). All the reactions were performed in triplicates, while appropriate controls were used. Results: The active substances were detected with the analytical methods. The treatment with Boswellia sacra in 50 μg/ml decreased the viability of HCT116 by 50% at 24h and 48h, while in PANC-1, optimum results observed in 25 μg/ml, decreasing the cell population approximately 40-50% in both time periods. The treatment of colon carcinoma cell line with breastin in 1 μg/ml reduced the cell population 35% at 24h, while addition in 2.5 μg/ml decreased viability up to 70% at 48h of incubation. A decrease in viability up to 50% was also observed in PANC-1 after treatment with 0.5 μg/ml at 24h and 1 μg/ml post 48h of treatment. Conclusion: Taking everything into consideration, it has been demonstrated that Boswellia sacra and Nerium oleander (breastin) affected the proliferation of the above-tested cell lines. The mechanism of action is not known, however, the above substances contain molecules that might contribute to this inhibition. The study of the specific molecules contained in breastin and Boswellia sacra, as well as studies in more samples and other types of cancer, is necessary to prove the previous concept.