Black garlic inhibits colon cancer cell growth

Colon cancer – Things you need to know

Colon cancer is currently one of the most common types of gastrointestinal cancer, with an incidence rate of ~10–15% among cancer patients. Surgical resection has been the standard treatment for colon cancer; however, the local recurrence rate following surgical resection is 20–50%.  Chemotherapy is currently considered as the gold-standard treatment for cancer cell elimination. However, the majority of chemotherapeutic agents also destroy normal cells, resulting in the development of intolerable adverse reactions. The clinical outcome of chemotherapy has been disappointing, due to the severe side effects, which may include gastrointestinal reactions, bone marrow suppression, oral mucositis, hepatic damage and toxic effects on the urinary system. Therefore, there is a need for the development of low-toxicity anticancer agents.

Numerous studies demonstrated that allicin, an organosulfur compound obtained from garlic, has the ability to promote the apoptosis of tumor cells, cause cell cycle arrest and improve the antioxidant activity. The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/protein kinase B (PI3K/Akt) intracellular signaling pathway is frequently activated in cancer cells through numerous mutations and epigenetic changes. The PI3K/Akt signaling pathway is involved in a variety of processes underlying tumor cell proliferation, apoptosis and migration. The occurrence, development and outcome of tumor diseases are significantly associated with the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and recent scientific research has been focused on the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway. The development of inhibitors targeting different components of the PI3K pathway may result in novel targets for alternative cancer therapy.

Black garlic with colon cancer

Effects of BLACK GARLIC on the growth of HT29 cells

BLACK GARLIC inhibited the growth of HT29 cells in a time- and dose-dependent manner.

Effects of BLACK GARLIC on the G0/G1 phase of the cell cycle and apoptosis of HT29 cells

The results demonstrated that different concentrations of BLACK GARLIC, as well as other apoptosis-related proteins, inhibited colon cancer cell growth through the induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest.

Effects of BLACK GARLIC on the expression of Akt and PTEN in HT29 cells

The effect of BLACK GARLIC treatment on the expression of Akt and PTEN was assessed by western blot analysis. Compared to the control group, the Akt protein level in the HT29 cells treated with BLACK GARLIC was lower, whereas the PTEN protein level was higher.

Effects of BLACK GARLIC on the expression of p-Akt and p70S6K1 in HT29 cells

We investigated the effects of BLACK GARLIC on p-Akt and its downstream target, p70S6K1, in HT29 cells by qPCR. The qPCR analysis demonstrated that treatment with BLACK GARLIC at different concentrations for 24 h significantly reduced the mRNA levels of p-Akt and p70S6K1 in HT29 cells.

Conclude

By investigating the correlation between the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway and the growth inhibitory effect of BLACK GARLIC on HT29 cells, as well as the underlying mechanisms, we concluded that the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway is critical for the development of colon cancer.

Our present data suggest that BLACK GARLIC may be of therapeutic and/or adjuvant therapeutic value in the treatment of colon cancer, possibly via the modulation of the PI3K/Akt signaling pathway, the upregulation of PTEN and the downregulation of Akt and p-Akt expression. However, as BLACK GARLIC may confer resistance to targeted drugs, further assessment of BLACK GARLIC in clinical trials is required.