title: Antineoplastic effects of bee honey and Nigella sativa on hepatocellular carcinoma cells.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate in vitro antitumor effects of bee honey (BH) and Nigella sativa (NS) on HepG2 through their antioxidant and apoptotic activities.
  
  
  METHODS
  HepG2 cell line was treated with different concentrations of diluted unfractionated BH and different concentrations of alcohol extract of NS. Exposure lasted for different time durations (6-72 hours), both dose-response and time course-response were conducted. Cell viability was tested by trypan blue exclusion test. Total antioxidant status and caspase-3 activity were estimated in the cell lysate. Nitric oxide levels were measured in culture supernatants of both treated and untreated HepG2 at all indicated times.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Treatment of HepG2 cells with BH and NS leads to a significant decrease in both the number of viable HepG2 cells and the levels of nitric oxide on one hand, but improvement of the total antioxidant status and caspase-3 activity on the other, especially in HepG2 cells treated with higher doses of BH and NS (20% and 5000 μg/mL, respectively) and for longer duration (72 hours).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  BH and NS are effective in reducing the viability of HepG2 cells, improving their antioxidant status and inducing their apoptotic death.
authors.affiliation: Ain Shams University, Egypt.
authors.forename: Mahmoud I
authors.initials: MI
authors.lastname: Hassan
authors.forename: Gamal M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Mabrouk
authors.forename: Hanan H
authors.initials: HH
authors.lastname: Shehata
authors.forename: Marwa M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Aboelhussein
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism; D001516:Bees; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D002470:Cell Survival / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004353:Drug Evaluation, Preclinical; D056945:Hep G2 Cells; D006722:Honey; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D031881:Nigella sativa / Q000737:chemistry; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D010936:Plant Extracts; D009569:Nitric Oxide