Nelson Sham
Des Moines University College of Osteopathic Medicine, USA
Title: Raspberry: A fighter against cervical cancer
Biography
Biography: Nelson Sham
Abstract
Background: Cervical cancer (CC) is one of the leading causes of death among women worldwide. We have previously reported that blueberry extract constrains the growth of CC. Raspberry is a widely consumed fruit and its anti-tumor activity has been shown in some cancers. However, little is known about its direct effect on CC. This study was designed to investigate the direct role of raspberry in the growth of CC and its potential mechanisms.
Methods: Clonogenic survival assay, immunocytochemistry (ICC), TUNEL staining and caspase-3 activity kit were used to evaluate the effects of raspberry extract (RE) on cell survival, proliferation, and apoptosis of a widely-used CC cell line, HeLa. We further investigated the possible molecular mechanisms by using RT-PCR and ICC.
Results: We found that the percentage of colonies and PCNA staining intensity of HeLa cells decreased in the present of RE. TUNEL+ cells and the relative caspase-3 activity in cancer cells increased in the presence of RE. The anti-proliferative effect of RE on HeLa cells correlated with the increased expression of anti-proliferative molecule p53 and the increased expression of pro-apoptotic molecule Fas.
Conclusions: RE notably constrains the growth of CC by inhibiting its proliferation and promoting its apoptosis, suggesting the anti-tumor property of RE in CC.