title: Chemotherapeutic potentials of the stem bark of Balanite aegyptiaca (L.) Delile: an antiangiogenic, antitumor and antioxidant agent.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Balanite aegyptiaca (L.) Delile, is a plant with extensive medicinal properties. Its stem bark is traditionally known for its spasmolytic and antiepileptic properties and used to treat yellow fever, jaundice and syphilis. Angiogenesis (sprouting of new blood vessels) is crucial for tumor growth and metastasis. The goal of this study is investigate the antiangiogenic, cytotoxicity and antioxidant activity as well as antitumor in vivo properties of B. aegyptiaca stem bark extracts.
  
  
  METHODS
  The dried powder of stem bark was extracted sequentially with n-hexane, chloroform, methanol and water. Rat aorta ring assay (RARA) was used as a platform to screen for antiangiogenic affect. The most active extract was subjected to further confirmatory antiangiogenic tests i.e. cell migration, tube formation and VEGF inhibition and finally evaluated for its in vivo antitumor efficacy in nude mice. The cytotoxicity of extracts on four cancer cell lines (HCT-116, K562, U937 and MCF-7) and one normal cells line (HUVEC) was evaluated. To assess the antioxidant activity screening, four methods were used, (DPPH•) and ABTS radical scavenging activity, as well as total flavonoids and phenolic contents.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Methanol extract of B. aegyptiaca stem bark (MBA) showed the highest antiangiogenic, antioxidant and anticancer properties. It was found selectively cytotoxic to leukemia cell lines as well as breast cancer cell line MCF-7. (MBA) thus exhibited antiangiogenic in ex-vivo rat aorta ring model; it was found to excel its antiangiogenic effect via inhibition of the key growth factor (VEGF) as well as to halt HUVEC cell migration and tube formation, furthermore animals bearing colon cancer treated with (MBA) showed significant reduction in tumor growth.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Different extracts of B. aegyptiaca stem bark showed various anticancer and antiangiogenic properties. MBA demonstrated potent antiangiogenic, antioxidant and antitumor in vivo. The outcome of this study suggests the potential of stem bark of the B. aegyptiaca for developing chemotherapeutic agent against solid tumor as well as leukemia.
authors.affiliation: EMAN Research and Testing Laboratory, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 USM, Penang, Malaysia.|Department of Botany, Faculty of Science & Technology, Omdurman Islamic University, P.O. Box 383, Omdurman, Sudan.
authors.forename: Loiy E Ahmed
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Hassan
authors.affiliation: EMAN Research and Testing Laboratory, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 USM, Penang, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Saad S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Dahham
authors.affiliation: EMAN Research and Testing Laboratory, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800 USM, Penang, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Sultan Ayesh Mohammed
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Saghir
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, Alzaiem Alazhari University, P.O Box 1432, Khartoum North, 13311, Sudan.
authors.forename: Abdelhafeez M A
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Mohammed
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 11800, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Nagla M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Eltayeb
authors.affiliation: ACRF Department of Cancer Biology and Therapeutics, The John Curtin School of Medical Research Australian National University, Canberra, Malaysia.
authors.forename: Amin Malik Shah Abdul
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Majid
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Quest International University, Perak, Malaysia. aman.shah@qiup.edu.my.
authors.forename: Aman Shah Abdul
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Majid
mesh_terms: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001011:Aorta / Q000166:cytology / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D032430:Balanites / Q000737:chemistry*; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002465:Cell Movement / Q000187:drug effects; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D061307:Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells; D006801:Humans; D061986:MCF-7 Cells; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008819:Mice, Nude; D024301:Plant Bark / Q000737:chemistry*; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D020533:Angiogenesis Inhibitors; D000975:Antioxidants; D010936:Plant Extracts
keywords: Antiangiogenic; Antitumor; Balanite aegyptiaca; Cytotoxicity; In vivo; Nude mice