An Anthocyanin-Rich Extract from Hibiscus sabdariffa Linnaeus Inhibits N-Nitrosomethylurea-Induced Leukemia in Rats

Abstract

A previous study reported that anthocyanins from roselle (Hibiscus sabdariffa L.) showed significant anticancer activity in human promyelocytic leukemia cells. To explore the antitumor effect of anthocyanin, a roselle bioactive polyphenol in a rat model of chemical-induced leukemia was assayed. Anthocyanin extract of roselle (Hibiscus anthocyanins, HAs) was supplemented in the diet (0.1 and 0.2%). This study was carried out to evaluate the protective effect of HAs on N-nitrosomethylurea (NMU)-induced leukemia of rats. The study employed male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 48), and leukemia was induced by intravenous injection of 35 mg kg(-1) body weight of NMU dissolved in physiologic saline solution. The rats were divided into four groups (n = 12): control, NMU only, and HAs groups that received different doses of HAs (0.1 and 0.2%) daily, orally, after NMU injection. After 220 days, the animals were killed, and the following parameters were assessed: morphological observation, hematology examination, histopathological assessment, and biochemical assay. When compared with the NMU-only group, HAs significantly prevented loss of organ weight and ameliorated the impairment of morphology, hematology, and histopathology. Treatment with HAs caused reduction in the levels of AST, ALT, uric acid, and MPO. Also, the results showed that oral administration of HAs (0.2%) remarkably inhibited progression of NMU-induced leukemia by approximately 33.3% in rats. This is the first report to demonstrate that the sequential administration of HAs followed by NMU resulted in an antileukemic activity in vivo.

Anthocyanins from roselle extract arrest cell cycle G2/M phase transition via ATM/Chk pathway in p53‐deficient leukemia HL‐60 cells

“…Our results are similar to those reported for DNA damage‐induced G2/M cell cycle arrest in other recent researches (Chaudhary et al, ; Liu et al, ; Peng et al, ). The present study demonstrated that HAs could be a bioactive constituent of HS for its anti‐leukemia activity and the possible mechanism may be related to cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase, in addition to the induction of apoptosis by HAs observed in in vitro and in vivo studies (Chang et al, ; Tsai et al, ). In sum, HAs promotes G2/M cell cycle arrest via inhibition of Cyclin B1/Cdc2 complex through the ATM, Chk1/2, and Cdc25C pathway or p53‐independent activation of p21 as well as p27 (Fig.…”

“…Even though our previous studies showed that HAs could prevent cancer cell growth in both in vivo in a chemical‐induced leukemia animal model (Tsai et al, ) and in vitro in HL‐60 cells through caspase‐dependent pathway (Chang et al, ), the effects of HAs on the cell cycle have not been studied yet. Accordingly, in this study, the effect of HAs on cell cycle and proteins involved in the cell cycle regulation in human promyelocytic leukemia (HL‐60) cell line was investigated.…”

The Growth of SGC-7901 Tumor Xenografts Was Suppressed by Chinese Bayberry Anthocyanin Extract through Upregulating KLF6 Gene Expression

“…A diet containing anthocyanins from black raspberries inhibited NMBA-induced rat esophagus tumor development by reducing NF-κB and COX-2 expression [40]. Anthocyanin-rich extract from roselle could inhibit N -Nitrosomethylurea–induced leukemia in vivo [41]. A diet with anthocyanin-enriched potato P40 prevented rats from colorectal cancer [42].…”

Components in aqueous Hibiscus rosa-sinensis flower extract inhibit in vitro melanoma cell growth

“…Reports indicate that hibiscus extracts can inhibit the growth of cancer cell types including mammary carcinoma, 8 leukemia, 9 and melanoma 10 . For example, recent studies found that Hibiscus polyphenols inhibit melanoma cell growth and viability 10 .…”