摘要
Cancer is a worldwide disease that ranks as the second-largest cause of death after cardiovascular disease. In 2019, the estimated number of cancer deaths was around 10 million worldwide and 600,000 in the United States. Due to the high side effects of the available treatments for cancer, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, a demand for alternative treatments has been a goal for scientists with less toxicity and side effects. Lung cancer is the most common type of cancer worldwide and the leading cause of death in the United States. In addition, prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in American men after lung cancer. Natural sources discovered to have therapeutic medicinal properties against human diseases are the plants Peganum harmala and Haloxylon salicornicum. The aim of this study is to test the anticancer activity of leaf extracts of Peganum harmala and Haloxylon salicornicum on lung cancer (A549) and prostate cancer (PC3) cell lines. The anticancer activity of P. harmala and H. salicornicum was studied using the assays: crystal violet viability, lipid peroxidation, and caspase-3 techniques, which were evaluated in vitro on two human cancer cell lines. The results of the study showed that both plants’ extracts reduced the viability of both cancer cell lines, which depended on the concentration of the extract. Also, P. harmala showed more potent activity against both types of cancer than H. salicornicum. P. harmala and H. salicornicum decreased the lipid peroxidation that induces cancer as well as increased the expression of caspase-3, which causes apoptosis and cell death. This study concluded that P. harmala and H. salicornicum leaf extracts showed significant anticancer properties, which might be due to the presence of phytochemicals, including flavonoids and phenolics.
Cancer is a worldwide disease that ranks as the second-largest cause of death after cardiovascular disease. In 2019, the estimated number of cancer deaths was around 10 million worldwide and 600,000 in the United States. Due to the high side effects of the available treatments for cancer, such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, a demand for alternative treatments has been a goal for scientists with less toxicity and side effects. Lung cancer is the most common type of cancer worldwide and the leading cause of death in the United States. In addition, prostate cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer death in American men after lung cancer. Natural sources discovered to have therapeutic medicinal properties against human diseases are the plants Peganum harmala and Haloxylon salicornicum. The aim of this study is to test the anticancer activity of leaf extracts of Peganum harmala and Haloxylon salicornicum on lung cancer (A549) and prostate cancer (PC3) cell lines. The anticancer activity of P. harmala and H. salicornicum was studied using the assays: crystal violet viability, lipid peroxidation, and caspase-3 techniques, which were evaluated in vitro on two human cancer cell lines. The results of the study showed that both plants’ extracts reduced the viability of both cancer cell lines, which depended on the concentration of the extract. Also, P. harmala showed more potent activity against both types of cancer than H. salicornicum. P. harmala and H. salicornicum decreased the lipid peroxidation that induces cancer as well as increased the expression of caspase-3, which causes apoptosis and cell death. This study concluded that P. harmala and H. salicornicum leaf extracts showed significant anticancer properties, which might be due to the presence of phytochemicals, including flavonoids and phenolics.
