Growth inhibitory activity of ethanol extracts of Chinese and Brazilian propolis in four human colon carcinoma cell lines

Abstract

Abstract. More than 300 bio-active compounds have been identified from bee propolis in various regions of the world. The objective of this study was to examine whether the ethanol extracts of Chinese and Brazilian propolis may exert anticancer activities in four human colon carcinoma cell lines, namely CaCo2, HCT116, HT29 and SW480. Propolis samples were extracted with ethanol, and the crude extracts were dissolved in dimethylsulfoxide and used for the experiments. In HCT116, HT29 and SW480 cell lines, the extracts of both Chinese and Brazilian propolis caused a marked dose-dependent growth inhibition, with IC 50 values in the range of 4-41 μg/ml. In HCT116 cell line, Chinese propolis extract induced apoptosis in the cells after 72 h of treatment. In addition, Chinese propolis extract caused a dose-dependent increase in the cellular mRNA levels of p21 CIP1 and p53 in the HCT116 cell line. These findings indicate that the ethanol extracts of propolis contain components that may have anticancer activity. Thus, propolis and related products may provide a novel approach to the chemoprevention and treatment of human colon carcinoma. IntroductionThere is growing interest in the use of natural products to aid in the maintenance of human health. Natural products contain a wide variety of chemical compounds that have potent biological effects, including anticancer activity (1). Identification of the active components and their mechanism of action is important to assess their potential for clinical use and possible diverse side effects. Propolis is a natural product derived from various plant resins collected by honeybees, and has been used as a folk medicine for centuries in Europe, North and South America, China and Japan (2). Propolis has been reported to exhibit a broad spectrum of activities including antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, and anticancer properties (2,3). Propolis from Europe, North and South America, Asia and Africa differ in their composition because of the differences in the local vegetation (2,3). The medical application of propolis has led to increased interest in its chemical compositions and its botanical origins since polyphenol compounds and their derivatives have been identified in propolis (2,3).Colon carcinoma is a common malignancy ranking third in frequency on a world wide basis and causes about 500,000 deaths annually (4). This malignancy is most common in developed countries of Western world, and mortality rate of this disease is rising (4). It is thought that one-third of human carcinoma might be associated with dietary habits and lifestyle (5) and dietary factors are known to be critical modulators of the development of human colon carcinoma (6,7). Despite recent clinical advances, colon carcinoma still remains a major issue because of its incidence, morbidity, and mortality (4,8,9). One promising approach to reduce the incidence and improve the prognosis of this malignancy may be chemoprevention (1,10).Although the above-described fi...

Tumor-suppressing potential of stingless bee propolis in in vitro and in vivo models of differentiated-type gastric adenocarcinoma

“…More importantly, we have herein established the first account that EEP treatment may display GC subtype specificity showing prominent suppressive efficacy against the differentiated-type. However, one caveat of this finding was that the enhanced anti-proliferative activity might be due to cell line growth capacity 17 .…”

Propolis: A Detailed Insight of Its Anticancer Molecular Mechanisms

“…Some cancers develop resistance to TRAIL-mediated cell death, a process that, as revealed in several in vitro studies, can be reversed by propolis-derived compounds. Treatment of prostate and colon cancer cells with propolis and its constituents was proven to cause apoptosis via a TRAIL-dependent mechanism [ 133 , 137 ]. Szliszka et al found that propolis extracts at concentrations of 50 μg/mL significantly increased the levels of TRAIL in cervical tumor cell lines.…”

Bee Products and Colorectal Cancer—Active Components and Mechanism of Action

“…A number of in vitro and in vivo studies confirm the anticancer activity of propolis or its active components against colon cancer cell lines ( Table 1 ). The extracts of Polish, Brazilian Red, New Zealand, and Serbian propolis have shown high levels of cytotoxicity on HCT-116 colon cell lines [ 50 , 51 , 52 , 53 , 54 , 55 , 56 , 57 ]. Other studies demonstrated that Brazilian and Chinese propolis extracts inhibited the growth of human colon carcinoma HCT116, HT29, and SW480 cell lines, with IC50 values in the range of 4–41 μg/mL.…”

“…Other studies demonstrated that Brazilian and Chinese propolis extracts inhibited the growth of human colon carcinoma HCT116, HT29, and SW480 cell lines, with IC50 values in the range of 4–41 μg/mL. Additionally, Chinese propolis extract caused a dose-dependent increase in the cellular mRNA levels of p21CIP1 and p53 in the HCT116 cell line [ 57 ]. The study by Russo et al showed that the Chilean propolis protects normal cells from oxidative and also reduces the vitality of Caco-2 colon adenocarcinoma cells through the induction of DNA damage [ 58 ].…”