Fig 3 - available via license: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International
Content may be subject to copyright.
Possible anticancer mechanism of H. alpestre and R. obtusifolius ethanol extract through changes in IL-2 levels mediated by the phosphoinositol-3 kinase pathway.
Source publication
The increase in the incidence of cancer in Armenia and around the world is a serious problem, and the chemical interventions used in cancer therapy, which partially have a therapeutic effect, are often accompanied by the destruction of normal body cells. Therefore, it is necessary to search for new alternative treatments that will be highly effecti...
Context in source publication
Context 1
... the amount of IL-2 was observed. Both extracts also act as inhibitors of PI3K. The inhibition of PI3K contributes to the immune system, particularly by increasing the number of T-killer cells in both the tumor microenvironment and blood plasma. Finally, this inhibition can boost immune cytotoxicity, preventing cancer cell invasion and metastasis (Fig. 3) ...
Similar publications
In this study, Rumex abyssinicus (R. abyssinicus) roots were used for dye extraction via Soxhlet extraction. The effects of particle size, solid-to-liquid ratio and extraction time on dye yield were examined. The optimization of dye extraction was carried out using response surface methodology coupled with the Box-Behnken approach. A maximum dye yi...
Citations
... These compounds also had the greatest affinity for PI3K/Akt, which may play a key role in RO extracts with promising anticancer properties. In our previous work in another cell culture (MCF-7), RO has also been shown to have a down-regulating effect on total and phosphorylated amounts of PI3K 27 . Another important finding of the work is that the quantitative data of the MDA and nitrite anions differed from our previous studies in vivo 14 . ...
The continuous increase in cancer rates, failure of conventional chemotherapies to control the disease, and excessive toxicity of chemotherapies clearly demand alternative approaches. Natural products contain many constituents that can act on various bodily targets to induce pharmacodynamic responses. This study aimed to explore the combined anticancer effects of Rumex obtusifolius (RO) extract and the chemotherapeutic agent 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) on specific molecular targets involved in cancer progression. By focusing on the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and its related components, such as cytokines, growth factors (TNFa, VEGFa), and enzymes (Arginase, NOS, COX-2, MMP-2), this research sought to elucidate the molecular mechanisms underlying the anticancer effects of RO extract, both independently and in combination with 5-FU, in non-small lung adenocarcinoma A549 cells. The study also investigated the potential interactions of compounds identified by HPLC/MS/MS of RO on PI3K/Akt in the active site pocket through an in silico analysis. The ultimate goal was to identify potent therapeutic combinations that effectively inhibit, prevent or delay cancer development with minimal side effects. The results revealed that the combined treatment of 5-FU and RO demonstrated a significant reduction in TNFa levels, comparable to the effect observed with RO alone. RO modulated the PI3K/Akt pathway, influencing the phosphorylated and total amounts of these proteins during the combined treatment. Notably, COX-2, a key player in inflammatory processes, substantially decreased with the combination treatment. Caspase-3 activity, indicative of apoptosis, increased by 1.8 times in the combined treatment compared to separate treatments. In addition, the in silico analyses explored the binding affinities and interactions of RO's major phytochemicals with intracellular targets, revealing a high affinity for PI3K and Akt. These findings suggest that the combined treatment induces apoptosis in A549 cells by regulating the PI3K/Akt pathway.
