Evaluation of the Anti-Cancer Efficacy of Long Pepper Extract in Colorectal Cancer

Submitter and Co-author information

Johan Pushani, University of WindsorFollow

Standing

Undergraduate

Type of Proposal

Oral Research Presentation

Challenges Theme

Open Challenge

Faculty

Faculty of Science

Faculty Sponsor

Dr. Siyaram Pandey

Proposal

Current chemotherapies have proven effective in treating patients but have shown to cause severe toxic side effects, such as neurotoxicity, organ system disorders, hair and weight loss, and fatigue. Natural health products (NHPs), compounds derived from natural sources, offer a promising option compared to common treatments used today.

NHPs have been widely used in the development of current chemotherapeutics. In addition to having many health benefits such as reducing inflammation, improving respiration and digestion, many possess anti-cancer properties. Long pepper’s own anti-cancer properties, as well as its ability to enhance the bioavailability of drugs, make it a viable drug to be used in tandem with a common chemotherapeutic. This main focus of this project was to evaluate the ability of long pepper extract (LPE) to decrease the cell viability of two lines of colon cancer (HCT116 and HT29), compared to a normal cell line (NCM460), when used in combination with the most common chemotherapeutic for colon cancer, FOLFOX.

First, cytotoxicity of an ethanolic extract of long pepper was assessed on HCT116 cells, whereby LPE displayed anti-cancer activity in a dose-dependent manner. LPE was then used in combination with FOLFOX, in which it enhanced cancer cell death. Moreover, mechanisms of anti-cancer action of LPE alone and in combination with FOLFOX were investigated; LPE greatly induced oxidative stress and destabilized cancer cells' mitochondrial membrane. Cellular results will be confirmed in trials on immunodeficient mice.

Special Considerations

I would like to acknowledge my supervisor Dr. Pandey, all of Pandey Lab (past and present); especially the cancer group, and the Couvillon Family.

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Evaluation of the Anti-Cancer Efficacy of Long Pepper Extract in Colorectal Cancer

Current chemotherapies have proven effective in treating patients but have shown to cause severe toxic side effects, such as neurotoxicity, organ system disorders, hair and weight loss, and fatigue. Natural health products (NHPs), compounds derived from natural sources, offer a promising option compared to common treatments used today.

NHPs have been widely used in the development of current chemotherapeutics. In addition to having many health benefits such as reducing inflammation, improving respiration and digestion, many possess anti-cancer properties. Long pepper’s own anti-cancer properties, as well as its ability to enhance the bioavailability of drugs, make it a viable drug to be used in tandem with a common chemotherapeutic. This main focus of this project was to evaluate the ability of long pepper extract (LPE) to decrease the cell viability of two lines of colon cancer (HCT116 and HT29), compared to a normal cell line (NCM460), when used in combination with the most common chemotherapeutic for colon cancer, FOLFOX.

First, cytotoxicity of an ethanolic extract of long pepper was assessed on HCT116 cells, whereby LPE displayed anti-cancer activity in a dose-dependent manner. LPE was then used in combination with FOLFOX, in which it enhanced cancer cell death. Moreover, mechanisms of anti-cancer action of LPE alone and in combination with FOLFOX were investigated; LPE greatly induced oxidative stress and destabilized cancer cells' mitochondrial membrane. Cellular results will be confirmed in trials on immunodeficient mice.