Inhibition of metastatic lung cancer in C57BL/6 mice by marine mangrove Rhizophora apiculata.

Metastasis is one of the hallmarks of malignant neoplasms and is the leading cause of death in many cancer patients. A major challenge in cancer treatment is to find better ways to specifically target tumor metastasis. In this study, the anti-metastatic potential of the methanolic extract of Rhizophora apiculata (R.apiculata) was evaluated using the B16F-10 melanoma induced lung metastasis model in C57BL/6 mice. Metastasis was induced in C57BL/6 mice by injecting highly metastatic B16F-10 melanoma cells through the lateral tail vein. Simultaneous treatment with R.apiculata extract (10 mg/kg b.wt (intraperitoneal) significantly (p<0.01) inhibited pulmonary tumor nodule formation (41.1 %) and also increased the life span (survival rate) 107.3 % of metastatic tumor bearing animals. The administration of R.apiculata extract significantly (p<0.01) reduced biochemical parameters such as lung collagen hydroxyproline, hexosamine, uronic acid content, serum nitric oxide (NO), γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) and sialic acid levels when compared to metastasis controls. These results correlated with lung histopathology analysis of R.apiculata extract treated mice showing reduction in lung metastasis and tumor masses. Taken together, our findings support that R.apiculata extract could be used as a potential anti-metastasis agent against lung cancer.

Effect of marine mangrove Avicennia marina (Forssk.) Vierh against acetic acid-induced ulcerative colitis in experimental mice.

Ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease are two conditions that have many features in common and are referred as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Patients with IBD are predisposed to colorectal cancer. This investigation evaluates the effect of marine mangrove Avicennia marina against acetic acid-induced colitis. The treatment of A marina extract significantly decreased the colonic lipid peroxides, glutathione peroxidase, and serum nitric oxide and significantly increased the colonic and erythrocyte superoxide dismutase and glutathione levels compared with colitis control. In addition, A marina extract significantly decreased the lesion score and wet colon weight compared with colitis control. Treatment with A marina extract reflects its therapeutic activity against UC by minimal damage of colonic epithelial cells compared with colitis control during histopathologic examination. These protective role of A marina extract against UC could be attributed to the presence of higher levels of decanoic acid, diethylhydroxylamine (DEHA), pentanoic acid, pyrrolidine, 4-chlorophenyl, thiazolidinones, and arabinopyranoside (flavonoid). These findings suggest that A marina extract could be useful as a potential (natural) therapeutic agent for IBD.

Targeting tumor metastasis by regulating Nm23 gene expression.

The Nm23 gene is a metastatic suppressor identified in a melanoma cell line and expressed in different tumors where their levels of expression are associated with reduced or increased metastatic potential. Nm23 is one of the over 20 metastasis suppressor genes (MSGs) confirmed in vivo. It is highly conserved from yeast to human, implying a critical developmental function. Tumors with alteration of the p53 gene and reduced expression of the Nm23 gene are more prone to metastasis. Nm23-H1 has 3'-5' exonuclease activity. This review focuses on the role of Nm23 in cancer progression and also a potential novel target for cancer therapy.

WAVEs: a novel and promising weapon in the cancer therapy tool box.

The Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome Protein family Verprolin--homologous proteins (WAVEs), encoded by a metastasis promoter gene, play considerable roles in adhesion of immune cells, cell proliferation, migration and destruction of foreign agents by reactive oxygen species. These diverse functions have lead to the hypothesis that WAVE proteins have multi-functional roles in regulating cancer invasiveness, metastasis, development of tumor vasculature and angiogenesis. Differentials in expression of WAVE proteins are associated with a number of neoplasms include colorectal cancer, hepatocellular cancer, lung squamous cell carcinoma, human breast adenocarcinoma and prostate cancer. In this review we attempt to unify our knowledge regarding WAVE proteins, focusing on their potentials as diagnostic markers and molecular targets for cancer therapy.

Anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor activity of the marine mangrove Rhizophora apiculata.

A methanolic extract of Rhizophora apiculata was evaluated for its anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor activity against B16F10 melanoma cells in BALB/c mice. The administration of R. apiculata extract was shown to inhibit the solid tumor development in mice. R. apiculata treatment significantly reduced tumor cell glutathione (GSH) levels as well as serum γ-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) and nitric oxide (NO) levels in the tumor-bearing animals. The total white blood cell count and hemoglobin levels were also significantly increased in extract-treated hosts. The use of R. apiculata substantially reduced the acute inflammation (assessed as paw edema) induced by carrageenan and also reduced inflammation edema induced by formalin. Analysis of this methanolic extract revealed a high content of 4-pyrrolidinyl, pyrazole, and ketone derivatives. These studies suggest that R. apiculata extract could be used as a (natural) anti-inflammatory and anti-tumor agent.