Abstract
This study focused on characterizing the Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic fractions of Teucrium alopecurus in the context of cancer prevention and therapy. The goal was also to elucidate the molecular mechanisms involved and to determine its efficacy against cancer by triggering apoptosis and suppressing tumorigenesis in human colon cancer. The data here clearly demonstrated that oily fractions of Teucrium alopecurus act as free radical scavengers, antibacterial agent and inhibited the proliferation of HCT-116, U266, SCC4, Panc28, KBM5, and MCF-7 cells in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. The results of live/dead and colony formation assays further revealed that Teucrium essential oil has the efficacy to suppress the growth of colon carcinoma cells. In addition, essential oil of Teucrium alopecurus induced apoptosis, as indicated by cleavage of caspases-3, -8, and -9 and poly-adenosine diphosphate ribose polymerase. Moreover, Teucrium alopecurus essential oil suppressed gene expression involved in survival, proliferation, invasion, angiogenesis, and metastasis in human colon cancer cells. No sign of toxicity was detected in vivo after treatment with increasing concentrations of essential oil. Oral administration of T.alopecurus inhibited LPS-induced colon inflammation. This anticancer property of this specie Teucrium alopecurus fractions could be due to their phenolic and/or sesquiterpene content (d-limonene, α-Bisabolol, Humulene, Thymol, and (+)-epi-Bicyclosesquiphellandrene). Hence our study reveals the anticancer activity of Teucrium alopecurus oil mediated through the suppression of cell growth, cell proliferation, and the induction of apoptosis of cancer cells. Thus, it has potential to be developed as an anticancer agent; however more in vitro and in vivo studies are warranted.
Highlights
Colonic carcinoma, a multistage process that occurs over many years and is regulated by multiple signaling pathways, is the target of numerous anticancer therapies [1]
This study focused on characterizing the Hydrophobic and Hydrophilic fractions of Teucrium alopecurus in the context of cancer prevention and therapy
Essential oil from Teucrium alopecurus showed that sesquiterpenes are the most abundant skeletons
Summary
A multistage process that occurs over many years and is regulated by multiple signaling pathways, is the target of numerous anticancer therapies [1]. This disease involves many proteins until the first step of the tumor to the ultimate stade. The combination of chemotherapeutic drugs with terpenes could be of great clinical importance in cancer therapy [2]. Colorectal cancer (CRC), one of the most lethal cancers, especially when it reaches advanced stages [3] and develops resistance to chemotherapeutic agents over time [4], evolves through a multistep process in which normal mucosa is first transformed into adenomatous polyps and eventually into invasive carcinoma [5]. Genetic www.oncotarget.com alterations in somatic cells (mutations) include the upregulation of proto-oncogenes and the down-regulation of tumor suppressor genes [7]
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