Characterizing the Anti-Cancer Efficacy of Paradise Tree Extract on Human Melanoma Cells
Author ORCID Identifier
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3531-5961 : Siddhartha Sood
Standing
Undergraduate
Type of Proposal
Oral Research Presentation
Faculty
Faculty of Science
Faculty Sponsor
Dr. Siyaram Pandey
Proposal
Skin cancers such as melanoma are the most common form of cancer in the world. When treating patients, surgical resection and chemotherapy are two options traditionally used. However, surgery has shown success only in early-stage melanoma and current chemotherapeutics have limited efficacy and high non-specific toxicity. Thus, there is a need to discover novel complementary therapies for use alongside standard chemotherapeutics. Natural extracts have been scientifically validated for anti-cancer efficacy in the past. Paradise Tree Extract (PTE) from Simarouba glauca or “Lakshmi Taru” is one such extract that has been shown to possess anti-cancer activity. In previous studies, it has been evaluated to show anti-cancer potential on leukaemic cancer cell lines. However, it has not been investigated for use to treat human melanoma. Thus, for the first time, we characterized PTE efficacy in human melanoma cell lines A375 and G361 and its selective induction of apoptosis. In addition, the cellular mechanisms behind its anti-cancer activity were elucidated. Furthermore, the interaction of PTE with standard chemotherapeutics was evaluated, specifically involving paclitaxel, temozolomide, and dacarbazine, the latter being the only approved single-agent chemotherapeutic for melanoma. The results found indicate there is no negative interaction with either drug and instead, a slight enhancement of anti-cancer activity. Overall, the results of this study indicate that PTE has the potential to be used as a selective and efficacious melanoma treatment either alone or in combination with current standards of care.
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Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Characterizing the Anti-Cancer Efficacy of Paradise Tree Extract on Human Melanoma Cells
Skin cancers such as melanoma are the most common form of cancer in the world. When treating patients, surgical resection and chemotherapy are two options traditionally used. However, surgery has shown success only in early-stage melanoma and current chemotherapeutics have limited efficacy and high non-specific toxicity. Thus, there is a need to discover novel complementary therapies for use alongside standard chemotherapeutics. Natural extracts have been scientifically validated for anti-cancer efficacy in the past. Paradise Tree Extract (PTE) from Simarouba glauca or “Lakshmi Taru” is one such extract that has been shown to possess anti-cancer activity. In previous studies, it has been evaluated to show anti-cancer potential on leukaemic cancer cell lines. However, it has not been investigated for use to treat human melanoma. Thus, for the first time, we characterized PTE efficacy in human melanoma cell lines A375 and G361 and its selective induction of apoptosis. In addition, the cellular mechanisms behind its anti-cancer activity were elucidated. Furthermore, the interaction of PTE with standard chemotherapeutics was evaluated, specifically involving paclitaxel, temozolomide, and dacarbazine, the latter being the only approved single-agent chemotherapeutic for melanoma. The results found indicate there is no negative interaction with either drug and instead, a slight enhancement of anti-cancer activity. Overall, the results of this study indicate that PTE has the potential to be used as a selective and efficacious melanoma treatment either alone or in combination with current standards of care.