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Colocynth Extracts Prevent Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition and Stemness of Breast Cancer Cells

Overview of attention for article published in Frontiers in Pharmacology, September 2017
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Title
Colocynth Extracts Prevent Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition and Stemness of Breast Cancer Cells
Published in
Frontiers in Pharmacology, September 2017
DOI 10.3389/fphar.2017.00593
Pubmed ID
Authors

Kaushik Chowdhury, Ankit Sharma, Suresh Kumar, Gyanesh K. Gunjan, Alo Nag, Chandi C. Mandal

Abstract

Modern treatment strategies provide better overall survival in cancer patients, primarily by controlling tumor growth. However, off-target and systemic toxicity, tumor recurrence, and resistance to therapy are still inadvertent hurdles in current treatment regimens. Similarly, metastasis is another deadly threat to patients suffering from cancer. This has created an urgent demand to come up with new drugs having anti-metastatic potential and minimum side effects. Thus, this study was aimed at exploring the anti-proliferative and anti-metastatic potential of colocynth medicinal plant. Results from MTT assay, morphological visualization of cells and scratch assay indicated a role of ethanol and acetone extracts of fruit pulp of the colocynth plant in inhibiting cell viability, enhancing cell cytotoxicity and preventing cell migration in various cancer cell types, including breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231, and cervical cancer cell line SiHa, subsequently having a low cytotoxic effect on mononuclear PBMC and macrophage J774A cells. Our study in metastatic MDA-MB-231 cells showed that both ethanol and acetone pulp extracts decreased transcript levels of the anti-apoptotic genes BCL2 and BCLXL, and a reverse effect was observed for the pro-apoptotic genes BAX and caspase 3. Additionally, enhanced caspase 3 activity and downregulated BCL2 protein were seen, indicating a role of these extracts in inducing apoptotic activity. Moreover, MDA-MB-231 cells treated with both these extracts demonstrated up-regulation of the epithelial gene keratin 19 and down-regulation of the mesenchymal genes, vimentin, N-cadherin, Zeb1 and Zeb2 compared to control, suggesting a suppressive impact of these extracts in epithelial to mesenchymal transition (EMT). In addition, these extracts inhibited colony and sphere formation with simultaneous reduction in the transcript level of the stemness associated genes, BMI-1 and CD44. It was also found that both the plant extracts exhibited synergistic potential with the chemotherapeutic drug doxorubicin to inhibit cancer viability. Furthermore, GC-MS/MS analysis revealed the presence of certain novel compounds in both the extracts that are responsible for the anti-cancer role of the extracts. Overall, the results of this report suggest, for the first time, that colocynth fruit pulp extracts may block the proliferative as well as metastatic activity of breast cancer cells.

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Mendeley readers

Mendeley readers

The data shown below were compiled from readership statistics for 43 Mendeley readers of this research output. Click here to see the associated Mendeley record.

Geographical breakdown

Country Count As %
Unknown 43 100%

Demographic breakdown

Readers by professional status Count As %
Student > Ph. D. Student 8 19%
Researcher 5 12%
Student > Bachelor 4 9%
Student > Master 3 7%
Student > Postgraduate 2 5%
Other 8 19%
Unknown 13 30%
Readers by discipline Count As %
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology 6 14%
Medicine and Dentistry 5 12%
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science 4 9%
Agricultural and Biological Sciences 3 7%
Nursing and Health Professions 1 2%
Other 9 21%
Unknown 15 35%
Attention Score in Context

Attention Score in Context

This research output has an Altmetric Attention Score of 1. This is our high-level measure of the quality and quantity of online attention that it has received. This Attention Score, as well as the ranking and number of research outputs shown below, was calculated when the research output was last mentioned on 07 September 2017.
All research outputs
#20,446,373
of 23,001,641 outputs
Outputs from Frontiers in Pharmacology
#10,203
of 16,310 outputs
Outputs of similar age
#275,650
of 315,613 outputs
Outputs of similar age from Frontiers in Pharmacology
#154
of 253 outputs
Altmetric has tracked 23,001,641 research outputs across all sources so far. This one is in the 1st percentile – i.e., 1% of other outputs scored the same or lower than it.
So far Altmetric has tracked 16,310 research outputs from this source. They receive a mean Attention Score of 5.0. This one is in the 1st percentile – i.e., 1% of its peers scored the same or lower than it.
Older research outputs will score higher simply because they've had more time to accumulate mentions. To account for age we can compare this Altmetric Attention Score to the 315,613 tracked outputs that were published within six weeks on either side of this one in any source. This one is in the 1st percentile – i.e., 1% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.
We're also able to compare this research output to 253 others from the same source and published within six weeks on either side of this one. This one is in the 1st percentile – i.e., 1% of its contemporaries scored the same or lower than it.