title: Anticancer properties of Teucrium persicum in PC-3 prostate cancer cells.
abstract: Crude extracts or phytochemicals obtained from some plants have potential anti-cancer properties. Teucrium persicum is an Iranian endemic plant belonging to the Lamiaceae family which has traditionally been used to relieve abdominal pains. However, the anti-cancer properties of this species of the Teucrium genus have not been investigated previously. In this study, we have used a highly invasive prostate cancer cell line, PC-3, which is an appropriate cell system to study anti-tumor properties of plants. A methanolic extract obtained from T persicum potently inhibited viability of PC-3 cells. The viability of SW480 colon and T47D breast cancer cells was also significantly decreased in the presence of the T persicum extract. Flow cytometry suggested that the reduction of cell viability was due to induction of apoptosis. In addition, the results of wound healing and gelatin zymography experiments supported anti-cell invasion activity of T persicum. Interestingly, sublethal concentrations of T persicum extract induced an epithelial-like morphology in a subpopulation of cells with an increase in E-Cadherin and β-Catenin protein levels at the cell membrane. These results strongly suggest that T persicum is a plant with very potent anti-tumor activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, School of Biology, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran E-mail : najafim@khayam.ut.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Majid
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tafrihi
authors.forename: Samane
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Toosi
authors.forename: Tayebeh
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Minaei
authors.forename: Ahmad Reza
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Gohari
authors.forename: Vahid
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Niknam
authors.forename: Seyed Mahmoud
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Arab Najafi
mesh_terms: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D015153:Blotting, Western; D015820:Cadherins / Q000378:metabolism; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D031367:Teucrium / Q000737:chemistry*; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured; D051176:beta Catenin / Q000378:metabolism
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D015820:Cadherins; D010936:Plant Extracts; D051176:beta Catenin; C040618:teucrium extract