title: Pomegranate extract induces cell cycle arrest and alters cellular phenotype of human pancreatic cancer cells.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Pomegranate extract (PE) is a standardized whole-fruit extract of pomegranate, a fruit with known anticancer properties.
  
  
  METHODS
  PANC-1 and AsPC-1 human pancreatic cancer cells were used as in vitro models to test the effects of PE.
  
  
  RESULTS
  PE treatment induced cell cycle arrest and inhibited cell proliferation in PANC-1 cells. PE treatment increased the proportion of cells lacking CD44 and CD24 expression, which are associated with increased tumor-initiating ability, demonstrating that PE altered cell phenotype. PE was more effective in inhibiting the proliferation of PANC-1 cells than the clinically used dose of paclitaxel. Similar results were obtained in the AsPC-1 cell line. Individual pomegranate phytochemicals were only modestly effective in inhibiting cell proliferation, suggesting that unidentified phytochemicals are responsible for the inhibitory effect of PE.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These data suggest that PE is a promising candidate for further preclinical testing for treatment of human pancreatic cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutritional Science, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX 78712, USA.
authors.forename: Vidhya
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Nair
authors.forename: Zhaoli
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Dai
authors.forename: Maruf
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Khan
authors.forename: Henry P
authors.initials: HP
authors.lastname: Ciolino
mesh_terms: D051927:CD24 Antigen / Q000276:immunology; D002453:Cell Cycle / Q000187:drug effects*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation; D006801:Humans; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors / Q000276:immunology; D016130:Immunophenotyping; D029561:Lythraceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000276:immunology / Q000473:pathology*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D051927:CD24 Antigen; D018960:Hyaluronan Receptors; D010936:Plant Extracts