Post-cancer Treatment with Condurango 30C Shows Amelioration of Benzo[a]pyrene-induced Lung Cancer in Rats Through the Molecular Pathway of Caspase-3-mediated Apoptosis Induction -Anti-lung cancer potential of Condurango 30C in rats-
Journal: Journal of Pharmacopuncture (Vol.16, No. 3)Publication Date: 2013-09-30
Authors : Sourav Sikdar; Avinaba Mukherjee; Kausik Bishayee; Avijit Paul; Santu Kumar Saha; Samrat Ghosh; Anisur Rahman Khuda-Bukhsh;
Page : 11-22
Keywords : apoptosis; benzo[a]pyrene (BaP); caspase-3; Condurango 30C; homeopathy; lung cancer;
Abstract
Objectives: The present investigation aimed at examining if post-cancer treatment with a potentized homeopathic drug, Condurango 30C, which is generally used to treat oesophageal cancer, could also show an ameliorating effect through apoptosis induction on lung cancer induced by benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) in white rats (Rattus norvegicus). Methods: Lung cancer was induced after four months by chronic feeding of BaP to rats through gavage at a dose of 50 mg/kg body weight for one month. After four months, the lung-cancer-bearing rats were treated with Condurango 30C for the next one (5th), two (5th -6th) and three (5th-7th) months, respectively, and were sacrificed at the corresponding time- points. The ameliorating effect, if any, after Condurango 30C treatment for the various periods was evaluated by using protocols such as histology, scanning electron microscopy (SEM), annexinV-FITC/PI assay, flow cytometry of the apoptosis marker, DNA fragmentation, reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR), immunohistochemistry, and western blot analyses of lung tissue samples. Results: Striking recovery of lung tissue to a near normal status was noticed after post-cancerous drug treatment, as evidenced by SEM and histology, especially after one and two months of drug treatment. Data from the annexinV-FITC/PI and DNA fragmentation assays revealed that Condurango 30C could induce apoptosis in cancer cells after post-cancer treatment. A critical analysis of signalling cascade, evidenced through a RT-PCR study, demonstrated up-regulation and down-regulation of different pro- and anti-apoptotic genes, respectively, related to a caspase-3-mediated apoptotic pathway, which was especially discernible after one-month and two- month drug treatments. Correspondingly, Western blot and immunohistochemistry studies confirmed the ameliorative potential of Condurango 30C by its ability to down-regulate the elevated epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) expression, a hallmark of lung cancer. Conclusion: The overall result validated a positive effect of Condurango 30C in ameliorating lung cancer through caspase-3-mediated apoptosis induction and EGFR down-regulation.
Other Latest Articles
- Effect of Scolopendrid Calculus Bovis-Fel Uris- Moschus Bee Venom and Sweet Bee Venom on Regional Cerebral Blood Flow after Pharmacopuncture to GV16 Pungbu and GB20 Pungji in Rat
- Clinical Research of the Efficacy and the Safety of Dioscoreae Rhizoma (Sanyak) Pharmacopuncture Therapy for Peripheral Facial Paralysis Patients
- Comparative Study on the Effects of Bee Venom Pharmacopuncture According to the Treatment Method for Knee Osteoarthritis
- Study of Single-dose Toxicity of Aconitum Kusnezoffii Reichb. Pharmacopuncture in Rats
- Effects of Dioscoreae Rhizoma (SanYak) on Peripheral Neuropathy and its Safety
Last modified: 2015-07-15 11:56:34