title: Evaluation of chemopreventive potential of Strobilanthes crispus against colon cancer formation in vitro and in vivo.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  With cancer being one of the major causes of death around the world, studies are ongoing to find new chemotherapeutic leads. There are common mechanisms for colorectal cancer (CRC) formation. Several are connected with oxidative stress-induced cell apoptosis and others are related to imbalanced homeostasis or intake of drugs/toxins. Plants that have been used for decades in folk and traditional medicine have been accepted as one of the commonest sources of discovered natural agents of cancer chemotherapy and chemoprevention. The aim was to study the antioxidant and chemopreventive effects of Strobilanthes crispus on colorectal cancer formation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Five groups of rats were injected subcutaneously with AOM, 15 mg/kg body weight, each once weekly for 2 weeks. The cancer group was continued on 10 % Tween-20 feeding for 8 weeks. The standard drug group was continued on 35 mg/kg 5-fluorouracil intraperitoneal injection twice a week for 8 weeks, and the experimental groups were continued on 250 and 500 mg/kg S. crispus extract oral feeding for 8 weeks, respectively. The normal group was injected subcutaneously with normal saline once a week for 2 weeks, followed by oral administration of 10 % Tween-20 for 8 weeks. All the rats were sacrificed after 10 weeks. The colons were evaluated grossly and histopathologically for aberrant crypt foci (ACF). Gene expression was performed for Bax, Bcl2, Defa24, Slc24a3, and APC genes by real-time PCR. S. crispus and its fractions were evaluated for their chemopreventive effects against human colorectal adenocarcinoma cell line HT29 and cytotoxicity for normal human colon epithelial cell line CCD 841, and the active fraction was assessed for its components.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We observed significant decrease in total colonic ACF formation, malonaldehyde (MDA) and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), increase in superoxide dismutase (SOD), up-regulation of APC, Bax and Slc24a3, and down-regulation of Defa24 and Bcl-2 in rats treated with Strobilanthes crispus.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results support the in vivo protection of S. crispus against CRC formation (azoxymethane-induced aberrant crypt foci) and suggest that the mechanism is highly specific to protect from oxidative insults and the following apoptotic cascade.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.|Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Sana'a University, Sana'a, Yemen.
authors.forename: Nawal
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Al-Henhena
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Hematology, Karolinska University Hospital, SE-141 86, Stockholm, Sweden.
authors.forename: Shaden A M
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Khalifa
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Rozaida Poh Yuen
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Ying
authors.affiliation: Institute of Biological Science, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Salmah
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ismail
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Sana'a University, Sana'a, Yemen.
authors.forename: Riad
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hamadi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Abdrabu N
authors.initials: AN
authors.lastname: Shawter
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Azila Mohd
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Idris
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Ainnul
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Azizan
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Nahla Saeed
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Al-Wajeeh
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. ammeen@um.edu.my.
authors.forename: Mahmood Ameen
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Abdulla
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Malaya, 50603, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. hesham@um.edu.my.|Division of Pharmacognosy, Department of Medicinal Chemistry, Uppsala University, Box 574, SE-75 123, Uppsala, Sweden. hesham@um.edu.my.
authors.forename: Hesham R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: El-Seedi
mesh_terms: D058739:Aberrant Crypt Foci / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D027901:Acanthaceae / Q000737:chemistry; D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D000818:Animals; D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor / Q000187:drug effects; D018890:Chemoprevention; D003110:Colonic Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000627:therapeutic use; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents; D000975:Antioxidants; D010936:Plant Extracts