Abstract. Cancer remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide, therefore food products are being investigated for potential prevention or treatment strategies. The ingredient, barley grass extract (Hordeum vulgare L.; Bex) is used to prevent or ameliorate various types of disease. In cancer, Bex has been revealed to inhibit tumor growth. However, its effect on cancer cells is yet to be clearly defined. In the present study, the effect of Bex on cancer cell growth was investigated. Bex inhibited the viabilities of breast and prostate cancer cells according to the results of MTT assays. Accordingly, Bex caused apoptosis, which was confirmed by Annexin V staining and western blot analysis for poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase and caspases. Furthermore, Bex increased the intracellular levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), and N-acetyl-L-cystein blocked Bex-induced apoptosis. Therefore, the study demonstrated that Bex causes apoptosis of breast and prostate cancer cells by increasing intracellular ROS levels.
IntroductionCancer is one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide (1,2). Despite numerous cancer studies and the development of various anti-cancer therapeutic agents, cancer remains dangerous. Anti-cancer therapeutic agents are chemically or biologically produced, and their effects are well defined (3-7). However, treatments continue to be associated with adverse effects and the majority of patients have an aversion to them (8).Herbal products have long been used to prevent or treat diseases, including cancer (9-12). Furthermore, certain anti-cancer therapeutic agents that are chemically produced originate from herbal products and their chemical characteristics are modified (7,(12)(13)(14). Typically, patients prefer to take herbal products (15-18); herbal products have historically been used as traditional medicines, such as traditional Chinese and Korean medicines, Kampo medicines and Ayurvedic medicine (13,14,19). Certain herbal products were demonstrated to treat cancer and/or reduce the side effects of cancer treatment (13,(15)(16)(17)(19)(20)(21). Therefore, herbal products are considered to be promising for cancer prevention and treatment.Barley grass extract (Hordeum vulgare L.; Bex) has long been used as a food product. Its biological effects have also been addressed by various in vitro and in vivo studies, although evidence there is limited evidence of the efficacy of Bex against specific conditions (22). The effect of Bex on the immune system was revealed in in vitro and in vivo experimental sets (23-25). Accordingly, Bex inhibited atopic dermatitis in NC/Nga mice by altering the expression levels of cytokines (26). Similarly, Bex repressed lipopolysaccharide-induced inflammation (27). Furthermore, its effect in type 2 diabetes was revealed in a genetically engineered mouse model and patients (28,29). Therefore, the effects of Bex on particular diseases have been demonstrated at least in experimental systems. A previous study revealed that Bex caused apoptosis of leukemia and lymphoma cell lines...