Anti-cancer potential of a mix of natural extracts of turmeric, ginger and garlic: A cell-based study

Abstract

Cancer related morbidity and mortality is a major health care concern. Developing potent anti-cancer therapies which are non-toxic, sustainable and affordable is of alternative medicine. This study was designed to investigate the aqueous natural extracts mixture (NE mix) prepared from common spices turmeric, ginger and garlic for its free radical scavenging potential and anti-cancer property against human breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7, ZR-75 and MDA-MB 231). Qualitative analysis of their bioactive constituents from turmeric, ginger and garlic were done using liquid chromatography-ESI-mass spectrometry (LC-ESI-MS/MS). To the best of our knowledge, NE mix with and without Tamoxifen has not been tested for its anti-cancer potential. We observed that the NE mix induced apoptosis in all the breast cancer cell lines, but it was more prominent in MCF-7 and ZR-75 cell lines in comparison to MDA-MB 231 cell line. The extent of apoptosis due to combined treatment with NE mix-Tamoxifen was higher than Tamoxifen alone, indicating a potential role of the NE mix in sensitizing the ER-positive breast cancer cells towards Tamoxifen. In support to MTT assay, cell cycle analysis, our RT-PCR results also prove that the NE mix 10 lg, Tam 20 lg and combination of NE mix 10 lg-Tam 20 lg altered the expression of apoptotic markers (p53 and Caspase 9) leading to apoptosis in all three cell lines. Our data strongly indicate that our NE mixture is a potential alternative therapeutic approach in certain types of cancer.

Allicin-induced modulation of angiogenesis in lung cancer cells (A549)

“…The allicininduced reduction in proliferation also exerted a proportionate effect on metabolism in the A549 cells. This is in agreement with previous studies that demonstrated allicin-induced declines in the percentages of actively dividing MCF-7 and ZR-75 cells [20]. In another study, it was reported that the percentage of cells in G0/G1 phase decreased with increase in the S phase population of chondrocytes when lung cancer cells were exposed to allicin [8].…”

Protective and therapeutic potential of ginger (Zingiber officinale) extract and [6]‐gingerol in cancer: A comprehensive review

“…Ju and coworkers have found that administration of [6]‐gingerol inhibits tumor growth in several types of murine tumors, such as B16F1 melanomas, Renca renal cell carcinomas, and CT26 colon carcinomas, in mice (Ju et al, ). A mixture of aqueous extracts from turmeric, ginger, and garlic showed free radical scavenging potential and anticancer properties against human breast cancer cell lines (MCF‐7, ZR‐75, and MDA‐MB 231) (Vemuri et al, ). The extract additionally induced apoptosis in all the breast cancer cell lines by altering the expression of apoptotic markers (p53 and caspase 9).…”

“…The extract additionally induced apoptosis in all the breast cancer cell lines by altering the expression of apoptotic markers (p53 and caspase 9). Moreover, this extract showed a synergistically enhanced proapoptotic effect when used in combination with tamoxifen as compared with the extract alone (Vemuri et al, ). Components of ginger when used in formulations of novel products may serve for the purpose of pharmacological prevention of diseases.…”

The Anti-Inflammatory and Cytoprotective Efficiency of Curvularin, a Fungal Macrolactone against Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Inflammatory Response in Nucleus Pulposus Cells: An In Vitro Study

“…Degenerated human NPCs were cultured in 60 mm dishes and initially treated with LPS (10 μg/mL) for 24 hours. Later, anti-inflammatories Cur (10 μg/mL) and Dexa (10 μg/mL) and a combination of Cur and Dexa (10 μg/mL) were added to cells, harvested after 36 hours, prepared for cell proliferation probing with propidium iodide for 15 to 20 minutes in the dark at room temperature, and estimated using an Attune NxT flow cytometer (Applied Biosystems, Foster City, CA, USA) as per manufacturer's instructions [25,26].…”