Date of Award
2010
Publication Type
Master Thesis
Degree Name
M.Sc.
Department
Chemistry and Biochemistry
Keywords
Biochemistry.
Supervisor
Pandey, Siyaram (Chemistry and Biochemistry)
Rights
info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Abstract
Melanoma is the deadliest form of skin cancer notorious for its aggressiveness and chemo-resistance to standard anti-cancer therapy. Most of the current chemotherapeutic agents e.g. doxorubicin, cisplatin, taxanes and etoposide are highly toxic to non-cancerous cells. In this thesis my objective was to evaluate the effects of a new wave of natural products: pancratistatin (Hymenocallis littorale), dandelion root extract (DRE, from Taraxacum Officinale) and curcumin (from Curcuma longa) on chemo-resistant melanoma cells. I also investigated the mitochondria-targeting potential of tamoxifen (an estrogen antagonist) in sensitizing melanoma cells to the effects of pancratistatin and curcumin in combinatorial treatments. All the natural products are efficient in inducing apoptosis in melanoma cells. Interestingly, pancratistatin and curcumin were very effective when combined with tamoxifen (eliciting a synergistic response), and are non-toxic to normal fibroblasts. Therefore, this thesis provides evidence of potential anti-cancer therapies and non-toxic combinations to this deadly cancer.
Recommended Citation
Chatterjee, Sudipa, "Natural Compounds As Selective Inducers of Apoptosis In Human Melanoma Cells" (2010). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 303.
https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/303