title: Anti-carcinogenic and anti-angiogenic properties of the extracts ofAcorus calamuson gastric cancer cells.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Acorus calamus(A. calamus) has been used as a medicinal plant in Asia for its effects on digestive system for the last 2000 years. To investigate the anti-cancer activity of rhizome ofA. calamus, the ethanolic and methanolic extracts and essential oil of the rhizome were prepared and their effects were assessed on human gastric cancer cell line (AGS).
  
  
  METHODS
  The viability of cells which were treated with the extracts and the essential oil was assessed by MTT assay. To evaluate the anti-angiogenic property of the extracts,in vitrotube formation assay was done. Cell cycle distribution and the expression of Oct4 and Nucleostemin, after treatments, were checked by flowcytometry and quantitative RT-PCR, respectively. Furthermore, analysis of essential oil fromA.calamuswas done by GC-MS.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Our results showed that the growth of AGS cells was inhibited by the extracts and essential oil and the extracts inhibited the angiogenesis in HUVEC cells. Our data revealed that the extracts and essential oil ofA. calamuscaused G1 arrest in AGS cells and downregulation of Oct4 and NS after treatment. By GC-MS analysis, we found new compounds such as epiprezizaene, valencene and isocyclocitral in essential oil ofA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  All together, our results showed that the extracts ofA. calamushave anti-proliferative and anti-angiogenic effects on cancer cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Plant Breeding, Faculty of Sciences and Modern Technologies, Graduate University of Advanced Technology, Kerman, Iran.
authors.forename: Samaneh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Rahamooz Haghighi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Science and High Technology and Environmental Sciences, Graduate University of Advanced Technology, Kerman, Iran.
authors.forename: Malek Hossein
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Asadi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Razi University, Kermanshah, Iran.
authors.forename: Hassan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Akrami
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnology, Institute of Science and High Technology and Environmental Sciences, Graduate University of Advanced Technology, Kerman, Iran.
authors.forename: Amin
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Baghizadeh
keywords: Acorus calamus; Angiogenesis; Anti-proliferation; Gastric cancer; Nucleostemin; Oct4