title: A black raspberry extract inhibits proliferation and regulates apoptosis in cervical cancer cells.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cervical cancer is the second most common female cancer worldwide, and it remains a challenge to manage preinvasive and invasive lesions. Food-based cancer prevention entities, such as black raspberries and their derivatives, have demonstrated a marked ability to inhibit preclinical models of epithelial cancer cell growth and tumor formation. Here, we extend the role of black raspberry-mediated chemoprevention to that of cervical carcinogenesis.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three human cervical cancer cell lines, HeLa (HPV16-/HPV18+, adenocarcinoma), SiHa (HPV16+/HPV18-, squamous cell carcinoma) and C-33A (HPV16-/HPV18-, squamous cell carcinoma), were treated with a lyophilized black raspberry ethanol extract (RO-ET) at 25, 50, 100 or 200μg/ml for 1, 3 and 5days, respectively. Cell proliferation was measured by WST1 (tetrazolium salt cleavage) assays. Flow cytometry (propidium iodide and Annexin V staining) and fluorescence microscopy analysis were used to measure apoptotic cell changes.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We found that non-toxic levels of RO-ET significantly inhibited the growth of human cervical cancer cells, in a dose-dependent and time-dependent manner to a maximum of 54%, 52% and 67%, respectively (p<0.05). Furthermore, cell growth inhibition was persistent following short-term withdrawal of RO-ET from the culture medium. Flow cytometry and fluorescence microscopy demonstrated RO-ET-induced apoptosis in all cell lines.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Black raspberries and their bioactive components represent promising candidates for future phytochemical-based mechanistic pathway-targeted cancer prevention strategies.
authors.affiliation: College of Public Health, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Zhaoxia
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Thomas J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Knobloch
authors.forename: Leigh G
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Seamon
authors.forename: Gary D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Stoner
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Cohn
authors.forename: Electra D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Paskett
authors.forename: Jeffrey M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Fowler
authors.forename: Christopher M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Weghorst
mesh_terms: D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D027824:Rosaceae; D002583:Uterine Cervical Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts