investigation of the growth inhibitory capacity of several medicinal plants from Iran on tumor cell lines

Background: Traditional herbal medicine is a valuable resource that provides new drugs for cancer treatment

Materials and Methods: We used the MTT colorimetric assay to evaluate the cytotoxic activities of the methanol extracts of these plants on various tumor cell lines. The IC50 was calculated as a scale for this evaluation

Results: Satureja bachtiarica, Satureja hortensis, Thymus vulgaris, Thymus daenensis and Mentha lonigfolia showed the inhibitoriest effects on Jurkat cells with > 80% inhibition at 200 microg/mL. Satureja hortensis [IC50: 66.7 microg/mL] was the most effective. These plants also strongly inhibited K562 cell growth; Satureja bachtiarica [IC50: 28.3 microg/mL], Satureja hortensis [IC50: 52 microg/mL] and Thymus vulgaris [IC50: 87 microg/mL] were the most effective extracts. Cichorium intybus, Rheum ribes, Alhagi pseudalhagi and Glycyrrihza glabra also showed notable effects on the leukemia cell lines. The Raji cell line was mostly inhibited by Satureja bachtiarica and Thymus vulgaris with approximately 40% inhibition at 200microg/ml. The influence of these extracts on solid tumor cell lines was not strong. Fen cells were mostly affected by Glycyrrihza glabra [IC50: 182 microg/mL] and HeLa cells by Satureja hortensis [31.6% growth inhibitory effect at 200 microg/mL]

Conclusions: Leukemic cell lines were more sensitive to the extracts than the solid tumor cell lines; Satureja hortensis, Satureja bachtiarica, Thymus vulgaris, Thymus daenensis and Mentha lonigfolia showed remarkable inhibitory potential

influence of Bcl-2 and myeloid antigen expression on response to therapy in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia

The possible prognostic significance of the expression of a variety of markers has been investigated in acute lymphoblastic leukemia [ALL]. In the present study we investigated the prognostic significance of CD13 and CD33 myeloid antigens [MY] aberrantly expressed on the blasts of ALL patients and Bcl-2 anti-apoptotic molecule expression in childhood ALL. Aberrant expression of MY occurred in 8.8% of cases. Variant levels of Bcl-2 were expressed in patients [44.2 +/- 25.5%], with more than 20% positivity for Bcl-2 in 64.7% of patients. Bcl-2[+] patients survived 959 +/- 242 days compared to 1059 + 230 days for Bcl-2 patients [P=0.2]. Corresponding data for complete remission duration was 682 +/- 170 and 716 +/- 173 days [P=0.3], respectively, indicating no significant association between survival and complete remission duration of patients with expression of the Bcl-2 molecule. Analysis of clinical response according to MY expression, however, showed significant association with survival and complete remission duration. MY[+] patients had shorter complete remission duration [383 +/- 58 days] and survival [473 +/- 68 days] than MY[-] patients [complete remission duration, 724 +/- 144 days; survival, 1045 +/- 186 days; P<0.001]. Expression of Bcl-2 along with MY was not associated with a significant decrease in survival or complete remission duration. Results of this study indicated that expression of MY was a poor prognostic factor in childhood ALL. Bcl-2 expression in MY[+] patients could not influence the response to therapy