ABSTRACT
Background: Zamzam water is naturally alkaline and rich in a variety of minerals which may represent a powerful tool for cancer therapy. In this research, the cytotoxic effects of Zamzam water were investigated in human lung cancer (A549) cell line and compared with human skin fibroblasts (HSF). Methods: Two different preparations of Zamzam water were used: Z1, with pH adjusted to 7.2 and Z2, with no pH adjustment. The effects of both treatments on the morphology of the A549 and HSF cell lines were investigated. The cell viability of HSF and A549 cells was identified by the MTT assay and trypan blue exclusion. Detection of apoptotic cells and cell cycle analyses were determined using flow cytometry. Moreover, reactive oxygen species (ROS) were measured for both cell lines. Results: Both Zamzam water treatments, Z1 and Z2 showed reductions in the cell viability of A549 cells. Cell death occurred via necrosis among cells treated with Z2. Cell cycle arrest occurred in the G0/G1 phases for cells treated with Z2. Cellular and mitochondrial ROS productions were not affected by either treatment. Conclusion: Our findings indicate that Zamzam water might have potential therapeutic efficacy for lung cancer.
ABSTRACT
To determine the relationship between resistin gene RETN C-180G variant and circulating resistin concentration in Saudi colon cancer patients. This case-control study was conducted in the Biochemistry Department, King Abdul-Aziz University, Jeddah, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from April 2009 to December 2009. The serum concentration had been measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay in 60 colon cancer patients and in 60 controls matched in gender and age. The single nucleotide polymorphism SNP C-180G was genotyped using polymerase chain reaction PCR and restriction fragment length polymorphism RFLP techniques. We observed a significantly higher serum resistin level in colon cancer group compared with control group 19.44 +/- 8.46 versus 5.45 +/- 2.73 ng/ml; p=0.0001, with significant p=0.03 higher levels showed in women than in men in patients and controls. In patients, the heterozygous CG and homozygous GG genotype carriers showed higher p=0.08 levels of serum resistin compared to CC homozygous. This difference was not observed p=0.78 among SNP C-180G genotypes in control group. Our result showed no association between the C-180G SNP and the serum resistin concentrations and suggests that the high resistin level in colon cancer patients may play an important role in colon cancer development