Antiproliferative Effects of Carvacrol on Neuroblastoma Cells

Abstract

Objective: Neuroblastoma is a pediatric solid tumor that originates from the neural crest. The survival rate of these malignancies is below 50 %. The most common treatments for the disease have several adverse effects which make them invasive for patients and limits the applicability as well as continuity of the treatment. Therefore, researchers seek new agents to reduce adverse effects in order to improve the treatment. In this wise, plant-derived phytochemicals are promising drug candidates, such as carvacrol which has anti-cancer features in some cancers. Method: Human neuroblastoma cell lines, KELLY (N-MYC positive) and SH-SY5Y (N-MYC negative) were grown in RPMI 1640 (KELLY) or DMEM (SH-SY5Y). Cells were treated with a range of concentration of carvacrol. Cellular proliferation was monitored by using xCELLigence Real-Time Cell Analyzer (RTCA) (ACEA Biosciences, Inc.) device to evaluate the antiproliferative effect of carvacrol on the neuroblastoma cells. Results: Considering the proliferation curve of SH-SY5Y, results indicate that carvacrol has antiproliferative effects on N-MYC negative neuroblastoma cells, SH-SY5Y cells at all concentrations. Conclusion: The data illuminate that the carvacrol has an antiproliferative role on neuroblastoma cells. In this context, this phyto-compound might be a promising agent for the treatment of this malignancy.

Antitumor Effects of Carvacrol and Thymol: A Systematic Review

“…In a rat neuroblastoma (N2a cell line), treatment with carvacrol (200-400 mg/L) exhibited cytotoxic and antiproliferative effects, along with antioxidant activity (Aydın et al, 2014). Kelly and SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells also exhibited a reduced proliferation rate after exposure to carvacrol (Kocal and Pakdemirli, 2020). In glioblastoma (cell line U87), carvacrol induced apoptosis by increasing the levels of caspase-3 cleavage, moreover, its antitumor mechanism of action seems to be related to the inhibition of PI3K/Akt signaling pathways, activation of mitogen/protein kinase by extracellular signals (via MAPK/ERK) and decreased levels of MMP-2 protein (Chen et al, 2015).…”

An Update on the Therapeutic Anticancer Potential of Ocimum sanctum L.: “Elixir of Life”

“…Additionally, incubation with carvacrol (115 M) decreased cell viability and significantly increased the number of early apoptotic cells in the colorectal cancer (Caco-2 cell line) [ 113 ]. Proliferation of HCT116, LoVo, and HT-29 cells was also suppressed [ 114 ]. Cell cycle arrest at the G2/M phase was another effect of carvacrol, which also decreased Bcl-2, metalloproteinases 2 and 9 (MMP-2 and MMP-9), phosphorylated extracellular signal-regulated kinases (p-ERK, p-Akt), and cyclin B1 and increased phosphorylated jun N-terminal kinase (p-JNK), and Bax [ 115 ].…”