Nettle Tea Inhibits Growth of Acute Myeloid Leukemia Cells In Vitro by Promoting Apoptosis

Abstract

Urtica dioica (UD), commonly known as “stinging nettle”, is a herbaceous flowering plant that is a widely used agent in traditional medicine worldwide. Several formulations of UD leaf extract have been reported to exhibit anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, with anticancer potential. The current study investigated the possible anticancer properties of nettle tea, prepared from Urtica dioica leaves, on acute myeloid leukemia (AML) cell lines, and deciphered the underlying molecular mechanisms. Treatment of AML cell lines (U-937 and KG-1) with UD aqueous leaf extract resulted in a dose- and time-dependent inhibition of proliferation, an increase in apoptotic hallmarks such as phosphatidylserine flipping to the outer membrane leaflet, and DNA fragmentation as revealed by cell-death ELISA and cell-cycle analysis assays. Apoptosis induction in U937 cells involves alterations in the expression of Bax and Bcl-2 upon exposure to nettle tea. Furthermore, the chemical composition of UD aqueous extract indicated the presence of multiple chemical agents, such as flavonoids and phenolics, mainly patuletin, m/p-hydroxybenzoic acid, and caffeic acid, among others, to which the pro-apoptotic and anti-tumor effects may be attributed.

Rhus coriaria L. (Sumac) Demonstrates Oncostatic Activity in the Therapeutic and Preventive Model of Breast Carcinoma

“…Increased Bax/Bcl-2 ratio up-regulates caspase-3 activity and subsequently triggers programmed cell death in cancer cells [ 42 ]. Numerous literature have documented an important regulatory role of phytochemicals in Bax/Bcl-2/caspase-3 signaling in breast carcinogenesis [ 43 , 44 , 45 ]. This experiment clearly shows a significant dose-dependent increase in the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in rat mammary tumors induced by sumac treatment, which correlates with an increase in cleaved caspase-3 expression in the treated group and higher sumac dose.…”

Improvement of caffeic acid biotransformation into para‐hydroxybenzoic acid by Candida albicans CI‐24 via gamma irradiation and model‐based optimization

“…7 In addition to its antimicrobial effects, PHBA has been reported to possess a dose-dependent cytotoxic effect on prostate (PC-3), breast (MCF-7), and leukemic cancer cells. 8,9 PHBA has also been found to have an antihyperglycemic effect 10 in addition to its protective effect against atherosclerosis, inflammation, allergy, myocardial damage, and thrombosis. 11 Furthermore, PHBA and its derivatives 3, 4, 5-trihydroxybenzoic acid, ellagic acid, gallic acid, and pyrogallic acid are important molecules in the medicinal chemists' search for effective and safe molecules with antialgal activity.…”

“…In addition to its antimicrobial effects, PHBA has been reported to possess a dose‐dependent cytotoxic effect on prostate (PC‐3), breast (MCF‐7), and leukemic cancer cells 8,9 . PHBA has also been found to have an antihyperglycemic effect 10 in addition to its protective effect against atherosclerosis, inflammation, allergy, myocardial damage, and thrombosis 11 .…”

The analysis of flavonoids and triterpenes extracted from Urtica by LC‐MS and the antimicrobial activity of the extracts

“…Urtica is rich in essential amino acids and minerals, as well as vitamins C, B, and K. Because of the huge nutritional value, urtica has been listed as a natural source of food flavorings in Europe and supplemented in soups and herbal teas (Joshi et al, 2014). Mohammad et al found that urtica extracts inhibit the growth of acute myeloid leukemia cells in vitro by promoting apoptosis (Hodroj et al, 2020). Both in vitro and in vivo proliferation of breast cancer cells can be suppressed by urticaria extracts, and they also enhance the sensitivity of paclitaxel drugs to breast cancer cells (Mohammadi et al, 2017) (Mohammadi et al, 2016).…”