Apoptosis Induction in MV4-11 and K562 Human Leukemic Cells by Pereskia sacharosa (Cactaceae) Leaf Crude Extract

Abstract

Background: Pereskia sacharosa is a genus of cacti widely used in folk medicine for cancer-related treatment. Anti-proliferative effects have been studied in recent years against colon, breast, cervical and lung cancer cell lines, with promising results. We here extended study of anti-proliferative effects to a blood malignancy, leukemia. Materials and Methods: Two leukemic cell lines, MV4-11 (acute myeloid leukemia) and K562 (chronic myeloid leukemia), were studied. IC 50 concentrations were determined and apoptosis and cell cycle regulation were studied by flow cytometric analysis. The expression of apoptosis and cell-cycle related regulatory proteins was assessed by Western blotting. Results: P sacharosa inhibited growth of MV4-11 and K562 cells in a dose-dependent manner. The mode of cell death was via induction of intrinsic apoptotic pathways and cell cycle arrest. There was profound up-regulation of cytochrome c, caspases, p21 and p53 expression and repression of Akt and Bcl-2 expression in treated cells. Conclusions: These results suggest that P sacharosa induces leukemic cell death via apoptosis induction and changes in cell cycle checkpoint, thus deserves further study for anti-leukemic potential.

The Chemical Profile of Senna velutina Leaves and Their Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Effects

“…Leukemias are cancers that affect the cells of the hematopoietic system; depending on their cellular origin and maturity stage, leukemias can be classified as either myeloid or lymphoid and as acute or chronic [ 4 ]. Surgery, radiotherapy, and chemotherapy [ 5 ] are among the main types of treatment for these cancers.…”

Leaf and Root Extracts from Campomanesia adamantium (Myrtaceae) Promote Apoptotic Death of Leukemic Cells via Activation of Intracellular Calcium and Caspase-3

“…Other studies also demonstrate the antileukemic potential of plant extracts, including mechanisms similar to those presented by extracts of C. adamantium , such as the reduction of mitochondrial membrane potential (Casagrande et al, 2014 ; Santos et al, 2016 ), increase Bax protein expression, activation of caspases-9 and -3, and cell cycle arrest (Asmaa et al, 2014 ; Fan et al, 2016 ). Furthermore, the AECL showed similar citotoxicity to the crude extract of Pereskia sacharosa leaves (Asmaa et al, 2014 ), and higher than those obtained by extracts from leaves of P. sacharosa (Asmaa et al, 2014 ), Jacaranda decurrens (Casagrande et al, 2014 ), and Hancornia speciosa (Santos et al, 2016 ).…”

“…To control or inhibit the proliferation of altered leukemic cells in patients, various treatment strategies can be combined, including chemical treatment, radiological treatment, and stem cell transplantation. In this context, the natural products have been suggesting novel alternatives to prevent or treat cancer, including different types of leukemias (Asmaa et al, 2014 ; Kinghorn, 2015 ).…”

Saponins from Rubus parvifolius L. Induce Apoptosis in Human Chronic Myeloid Leukemia Cells through AMPK Activation and STAT3 Inhibition

“…Herbal medications are currently widespread for clinical use in therapy, as the herbs have relatively mild bioavailability and low toxicity (Kma, 2013). The crude extract from leaf of Pereskia sacharosa (Cactaceae) significantly induces leukemic cell death via apoptosis induction and changes in cell cycle checkpoint, suggesting potential applications in leukemia treatment (Asmaa et al, 2014). The HPLC fraction from Voacanga globosa (Blanco) Merr.…”