Various natural products or their derivatives, mostly originating from plants, fungi, and bacteria, have been exploited as therapeutic drugs to treat various human diseases. In addition to previously explored organisms, research on natural compounds has now expanded into unexamined living organisms in order to identify novel bioactive substances. Here, we determined whether or not the larval form of the mealworm beetle Tenebrio molitor, a species of darkling beetle, contains cytotoxic substances that exclusively affect cancer cell viability. Ethanol extract and its solvent partitioned fractions, hexane and ethyl acetate fractions, showed anticancer effects against various human cancer cells derived from the prostate (PC3 and 22Rv1), cervix (HeLa), liver (PLC/PRF5, HepG2, Hep3B, and SK-HEP-1), colon (HCT116), lung (NCI-H460), breast (MDA-MB231), and ovary (SKOV3). Cell death induced by the fractions was a mix of apoptosis, necrosis, and autophagy. The hexane fraction was administered intraperitoneally to nude mice bearing a hepatocellular carcinoma SK-HEP-1 and showed inhibition of tumor growth in vivo. Therefore, we concluded that worm extracts contain cytotoxic substances, which can be enriched by proper fractionation protocols, and further separation and purification could lead to the identification of novel molecules to treat human cancers.

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The effects of heat treated and herb added garlic (Allium sativum L.) on the antioxidant activities were investigated. Boiling ) were applied, and several herbs were added to garlic. Hunter color L-value of heated garlic was significantly decreased, compared to that of control (fresh garlic), whereas a-value and b-value were increased (p<0.05). In the texture profile analysis, hardness, chewiness and gumminess of heated garlic were decreased, whereas adhesiveness was increased. The antioxidant activities determined by DPPH and hydroxyl radical scavenging activities were decreased in HTHP garlic. The pungent taste and garlic odor were the weakest in HTHP garlic. Especially, the pungent taste of HTHP garlic was not detectable. Green tea among several herbs (bay leaf, cinnamon bark, pine needles) showed the highest DPPH radical scavenging activity. Addition of green tea to HTHP garlic was appropriate for decreasing antioxidative activity of HTHP garlic compared to fresh garlic. Based on these results, it was suggested that high temperature and high pressure treated garlic with green tea might be very useful as a substitute for odorless functional garlic products.

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