The Pre-Clinical Evaluation of the Anti-Cancer Activity of Hibiscus and Lemon Grass Extracts on Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Cells
Type of Proposal
Oral presentation
Faculty
Faculty of Science
Faculty Sponsor
Dr. Siyaram Pandey
Proposal
Cancer is the leading cause of death in Canada and it is predicted that 2 out of 5 Canadians will develop the disease in their life-time. Current cancer therapies are often associated with severe side effects that include the formation of secondary malignancies and even death. As a result, research is focused on studying various novel anti-cancer agents, to discover new therapies that are safer and more effective. A majority of anti-cancer agents have been derived from natural health products; however, anecdotal evidence indicates that the benefits of the whole extract remains unexplored. Thus, it is important for scientific research to explore whether traditionally used natural extracts possess safe and effective anti-cancer properties. This project aims to uncover the anti-cancer benefits possessed by lemon grass and hibiscus extracts against Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, as well as the mechanism(s) of action of these extracts alone and in combination with each other while identifying the pharmacologically active components within these extracts. These extracts have shown promising results is preliminary cytotoxicity screenings using a WST-1 assay. Also, cell staining with annexin V and propidium iodide have shown that these extracts induce apoptosis in U-937 cells.The most effective doses are currently being examined further to determine the mode of cell death being induced by the extracts. Furthermore, synergistic studies are being carried out to ascertain if there are benefits to using multiple effective extracts to combat the complexity of cancer. Preliminary findings also show a selectivity of these extracts to cancer cells. This research will determine if lemon grass and hibiscus can be used as safe and effective treatments for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.
Start Date
29-3-2016 1:00 PM
End Date
29-3-2016 2:20 PM
The Pre-Clinical Evaluation of the Anti-Cancer Activity of Hibiscus and Lemon Grass Extracts on Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma Cells
Cancer is the leading cause of death in Canada and it is predicted that 2 out of 5 Canadians will develop the disease in their life-time. Current cancer therapies are often associated with severe side effects that include the formation of secondary malignancies and even death. As a result, research is focused on studying various novel anti-cancer agents, to discover new therapies that are safer and more effective. A majority of anti-cancer agents have been derived from natural health products; however, anecdotal evidence indicates that the benefits of the whole extract remains unexplored. Thus, it is important for scientific research to explore whether traditionally used natural extracts possess safe and effective anti-cancer properties. This project aims to uncover the anti-cancer benefits possessed by lemon grass and hibiscus extracts against Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma, as well as the mechanism(s) of action of these extracts alone and in combination with each other while identifying the pharmacologically active components within these extracts. These extracts have shown promising results is preliminary cytotoxicity screenings using a WST-1 assay. Also, cell staining with annexin V and propidium iodide have shown that these extracts induce apoptosis in U-937 cells.The most effective doses are currently being examined further to determine the mode of cell death being induced by the extracts. Furthermore, synergistic studies are being carried out to ascertain if there are benefits to using multiple effective extracts to combat the complexity of cancer. Preliminary findings also show a selectivity of these extracts to cancer cells. This research will determine if lemon grass and hibiscus can be used as safe and effective treatments for Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma.