title: Antiproliferative effects of Ceratonia siliqua L. on mouse hepatocellular carcinoma cell line.
abstract: Extracts from pods and leaves of carob (Ceratonia siliqua L.) were tested for their ability to inhibit cell proliferation of mouse hepatocellular carcinoma cell line (T1). The two extracts showed a marked alteration of T1 cell proliferation in a dose-related fashion reaching the maximal effect at 1 mg/ml. Moreover, we demonstrated that leaf and pod extracts were able to induce apoptosis in T1 cell lines after 24-h treatment mediating a direct activation of the caspase 3 pathway. HPLC analysis revealed the presence of gallic acid, (-) epigallocatechin-3-gallate and (-) epicatechin-3-gallate in pod and leaf extracts, compounds well known to exert antiproliferative effects. Their concentration reached 6.28 mg/g in carob leaves and 1.36 mg/g in carob pods extract. The discovery that carob pod and leaf extracts contained antiproliferative agents could be of practical importance in the development of functional foods and/or chemopreventive drugs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Via Campi, 183, Modena and Reggio Emilia University, 41100 Modena, Italy. corsi.lorenzo@unimo.it
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Corsi
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Avallone
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cosenza
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Farina
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Baraldi
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baraldi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases / Q000378:metabolism; D002455:Cell Division / Q000187:drug effects; D002851:Chromatography, High Pressure Liquid; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D007887:Fabaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D005419:Flavonoids; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000473:pathology*; D051379:Mice; D010636:Phenols / Q000494:pharmacology; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018514:Plant Structures / Q000737:chemistry; D011108:Polymers / Q000494:pharmacology; D059808:Polyphenols; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D005419:Flavonoids; D010636:Phenols; D010936:Plant Extracts; D011108:Polymers; D059808:Polyphenols; C505409:Casp3 protein, mouse; D053148:Caspase 3; D020169:Caspases