title: Antiproliferative activity of Lavatera cashmeriana- protease inhibitors towards human cancer cells.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Proteases play a regulatory role in a variety of pathologies including cancer, pancreatitis, thromboembolic disorders, viral infections and many others. One of the possible strategies to combat these pathologies seems to be the use of protease inhibitors. LC-pi I, II, III and IV (Lavatera cashmerian-protease inhibitors) have been found in vitro to strongly inhibit trypsin, chymotrypsin and elastase, proteases contributing to tumour invasion and metastasis, indicated possible anticancer effects. The purpose of this study was to check in vitro anticancer activity of these four inhibitors on human lung cancer cell lines.
  
  
  METHODS
  In order to assess whether these inhibitors induced in vitro cytoxicity, SRB assay was conducted with THP-1 (leukemia), NCIH322 (lung) and Colo205, HCT-116 (colon) lines.
  
  
  RESULTS
  LC-pi I significantly inhibited the cell proliferation of all cells tested and also LC-pi II was active in all except HCT-116. Inhibition of cell growth by LC-pi III and IV was negligible. IC50 values of LC-pi I and II for NCIH322, were less compared to other cell lines suggesting that lung cancer cells are more inhibited.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These investigations might point to future preventive as well as curative solutions using plant protease inhibitors for various cancers, especially in the lung, hence warranting their further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Kashmir, Srinagar, J and K, India.
authors.forename: Syed
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rakashanda
authors.forename: Asif Khurshid
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Qazi
authors.forename: Rabiya
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Majeed
authors.forename: Shaista
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rafiq
authors.forename: Ishaq Mohammad
authors.initials: IM
authors.lastname: Dar
authors.forename: Akbar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Masood
authors.forename: Abid
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hamid
authors.forename: Shajrul
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Amin
mesh_terms: D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D006801:Humans; D019660:Malvaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000201:enzymology / Q000473:pathology*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011480:Protease Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases / Q000737:chemistry*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts; D011480:Protease Inhibitors; D012697:Serine Endopeptidases