Cucurbita ficifolia Fruit Extract Induces Tp53/Caspase-Mediated Apoptosis in MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells.

The second most biggest cancer worldwide is breast cancer. There is an increasing need for safer, effective, and affordable drug candidates from natural sources to treat breast cancer. In the present investigation, the anticancer effect of Cucurbita ficifolia Bouché (C. ficifolia) fruit extract was tested on the human breast cancer cells such as MCF-7. The cells were exposed with different doses of C. ficifolia, for the assessment of IC50 concentrations on the MCF-7 cell lines for 24 hs. The effect of C. ficifolia fruit extract on morphological and apoptotic changes were evaluated by specific fluorescence staining techniques and real-time PCR in a time-dependent manner for 24 hs and 48 hs. The IC50 value for C. ficifolia fruit extract was found to be 90 µg/mL. Morphological alteration and apoptotic distinctiveness aspect like chromatin condensation and nuclear fragmentation were noticed in C. ficifolia extract exposed breast cancer cells. Further, we observed that C. ficifolia extract-induced programmed cell death in the MCF-7 cells were mediated with the elevated expression of the tumor suppressor gene such as p53 and apoptotic markers such as caspase-8, caspase-9, caspase-3, fatty acid synthase (FAS), Fas-associated protein with death domain (FADD), Bcl-2 homologous antagonist/killer (BAK), and Bcl-2-associated X protein (BAX). These observations established that C. ficifolia significantly concealed the cell division and provoked p53/caspase-mediated programmed cell death. Further, we noticed that this cell death in MCF-7 cells is concentration and time dependent. As evaluated through the comet assay, C. ficifolia induced DNA damage; further upon increasing the duration of the treatment, the DNA damage was higher than before. Thus, our study concludes that C. ficifolia could serve as an effective anticancer agent through vital gene modulation.

Antioxidant and antihyperlipidemic effects of Ajwa date (Phoenix dactylifera L.) extracts in rats fed a cholesterol-rich diet.

This study investigated the chemical composition, in vivo antioxidant, and antihyperlipidemic potential of Ajwa date polyphenol extract (DPE). Chemical analysis revealed that the Ajwa dates contain substantial amounts of carbohydrates, energy, potassium, iron, polyphenols, and flavonoids. In vivo studies showed that feeding rats with cholesterol-rich diets significantly (p ≤ 0.05) increased their body and liver weights, total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), very-low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (VLDL-C), and triglycerides (TG) in plasma and liver, and reduced the high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) content and antioxidant enzyme activities. However, oral administration of 25, 50, and 100 mg DPE/kg body weight to hypercholestrolemic rats, significantly (p ≤ 0.05) reduced their body and liver weights, total hepatic cholesterol, LDL-C, VLDL-C, and triglycerides. Furthermore, treatment with DPE improved (p ≤ 0.05) the HDL-C concentration and antioxidant enzyme activity in a concentration-dependent fashion, thereby regulating lipid profiles, enhancing the antioxidant defense system. Overall, DPE showed significant (p ≤ 0.05) nutritional, antioxidants, and antihyperlipidemic benefits. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS: Coronary heart disease is the leading cause of death in the world. Consumption of fruits and vegetables rich in polyphenol have shown to exert cardio-protective effect. This work revealed that phenolic extracts of Ajwa dates have positive impacts on the health as it reduced TC, LDL-C, and lipids VLDL-C and improved HDL-C and the antioxidant defense system in rats. The findings of this study could aid in the profound understanding of the nutritional and health potentials of Ajwa dates and thus could help in utilization of these valuable fruits for the prevention and curing of cardiovascular diseases.