Moringa oleifera as an Anti-Cancer Agent against Breast and Colorectal Cancer Cell Lines

Abstract

In this study we investigated the anti-cancer effect of Moringa oleifera leaves, bark and seed extracts. When tested against MDA-MB-231 and HCT-8 cancer cell lines, the extracts of leaves and bark showed remarkable anti-cancer properties while surprisingly, seed extracts exhibited hardly any such properties. Cell survival was significantly low in both cells lines when treated with leaves and bark extracts. Furthermore, a striking reduction (about 70–90%) in colony formation as well as cell motility was observed upon treatment with leaves and bark. Additionally, apoptosis assay performed on these treated breast and colorectal cancer lines showed a remarkable increase in the number of apoptotic cells; with a 7 fold increase in MD-MB-231 to an increase of several fold in colorectal cancer cell lines. However, no significant apoptotic cells were detected upon seeds extract treatment. Moreover, the cell cycle distribution showed a G2/M enrichment (about 2–3 fold) indicating that these extracts effectively arrest the cell progression at the G2/M phase. The GC-MS analyses of these extracts revealed numerous known anti-cancer compounds, namely eugenol, isopropyl isothiocynate, D-allose, and hexadeconoic acid ethyl ester, all of which possess long chain hydrocarbons, sugar moiety and an aromatic ring. This suggests that the anti-cancer properties of Moringa oleifera could be attributed to the bioactive compounds present in the extracts from this plant. This is a novel study because no report has yet been cited on the effectiveness of Moringa extracts obtained in the locally grown environment as an anti-cancer agent against breast and colorectal cancers. Our study is the first of its kind to evaluate the anti-malignant properties of Moringa not only in leaves but also in bark. These findings suggest that both the leaf and bark extracts of Moringa collected from the Saudi Arabian region possess anti-cancer activity that can be used to develop new drugs for treatment of breast and colorectal cancers.

Moringa oleifera Seeds and Oil: Characteristics and Uses for Human Health

“…Many of the bioactive compounds isolated from M. oleifera seeds have been found to be potential antitumor promoters [46,53]. However, recent study results found that the ethanol extract of M. oleifera seeds had no significant effect in inhibiting the proliferation of breast and colorectal tumour cells [63]. Nevertheless, a recent study observed a cytotoxic effect of M. oleifera oil in several cancer cell lines [64].…”

<i>Moringa oleifera</i>: An apoptosis inducer in cancer cells

“…Using annexin V and PI dual staining techniques whereby annexin V binds to translocated phosphatidylserine (PS) on the outer surface of cell membrane caused by apoptosis and PI passes through cell membrane when the membrane integrity has been compromised due to necrosis cell death and intercalate into nucleic acid of cell cytoplasm, Al-Asmari et al showed that ethanolic extracts of M. oleifera leaves and bark induced apoptosis in MDA-MDB-231 breast cancer cells and HCT8 colorectal cancer cells while ethanolic extract of the plant seeds mildly triggered apoptosis in HCT8 cells only [59]. In addition, a potential oral anticancer drug of cold water extract of M. oleifera leaves induced apoptosis HepG2 human hepatocellular carcinoma cells by activating caspase 3 via cleavage and downregulating the expression of Bcl-xL anti-apoptotic protein [60].…”

Cytotoxic Effect of Caralluma fimbriata Against Human Colon Cancer Cells

“…Naturaceuticals such as silibinin, quercetin, curcumin [13][14][15] and plant extracts such as Curcuma longa, Moringa oleifera, Camellia sinensis, Dictyopteris undulata have also been tested for their anticancer effects against colon cancer. [16][17][18][19] In previous studies C. fimbriata has been evaluated against several cancer models except colon cancer. Methanolic extract of the C. fimbriata reported to exhibit anti lung cancer activity, Priya et al carried out cell viability and growth inhibition activity of the methanolic extract of C. fimbriata against A-549 lung cancer cell lines.…”