Growth inhibitory and adjuvant therapeutic potential of aqueous extract of Triticum aestivum on MCF-7 and HeLa cells.

AIM: The purpose of the present study is to evaluate the potent growth inhibitory effects of aqueous wheatgrass extract (AWE) alone and in combination with cisplatin on human breast and cervical cancer cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The cytotoxic potential of AWE alone and in combination with cisplatin was evaluated on human breast and cervical cancer cells (MCF-7 and HeLa) by cell viability assay. Further, the mode of cell death induced by AWE was determined by nuclear morphological examination and cell cycle analysis. These effects were then correlated with the expression of genes involved in apoptosis and proliferation (cyclin D1 and Bax) by RT-PCR. RESULTS: AWE showed dose- and time dependent selective cytotoxicity towards the cancer highlighting its safe profile. Lower dose combinations of AWE and cisplatin induced increased growth inhibition compared with the individual drugs on both cell lines (combination index < 1) indicating strong synergistic interactions. AWE was found to induce apoptosis and arrested the cells at G0-G1 phase of the cell cycle which correlated with the modulation of expression of bax and cyclin D1 in a time-dependent manner in MCF-7 and HeLa cells. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that the anti-cancer potential of AWE may be due to apoptosis induction and its anti-proliferative properties. This study also provides the first evidence demonstrating synergism between AWE and cisplatin, which may enhance the therapeutic index of prevention and/or treatment of human breast and cervical cancer.

Molecular vaccines against parasites.

Prophylactic vaccines can be expected to be one of the major practical outputs of parasitology research. Various groups within Australia have pursued the vaccine objective for several years, with particular emphasis on blood-stage falciparum malaria in man, intestinal helminths of sheep and cattle, cutaneous myiasis (blowfly strike) in sheep, cysticercosis in sheep and cattle, bovine babesiosis, and cattle ticks. Other vaccine programmes are concerned with giardiasis, filariasis, toxoplasmosis, fascioliasis, coccidiosis in poultry, cutaneous leishmaniasis and schistosomiasis japonica. For many years, the only available vaccine against a parasite in Australia has been the attenuated Babesia bovis vaccine produced by the Tick Fever Research Centre of the Queensland Department of Primary Industries. Strategies for achieving molecular vaccines are generally similar within the various research groups. They involve analysis of the immunology and immunochemistry of a model or in-vitro system; development of functional monoclonal antibodies; analysis of antibody specificities in clinically and/or functionally defined polyclonal sera; screening of cDNA or genomic expression libraries; peptide synthesis; identification of an appropriate vaccination schedule involving adjuvants or new recombinant DNA-based antigen delivery systems. Outlined below are five of the major vaccine programmes.