Maysoor Hassan Amin, Mohannad Hasan Amin,Â
Manarat Al-Riyadh, Riyadh, Central, SAUDI ARABIA
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a worldwide health problem and is considered as one of the most prevalent causes of cancer mortality. Saudi Arabian patients are more likely to present with CRC at an advanced stage of the disease and at younger ages when compared to western populations. There is an urgent need for the development of novel generation of anti-cancer drugs with higher efficiency and specificity. In this context, the present research was to evaluate the anti-tumor effects of venoms extracted from indigenous snakes, Echis coloratus and Walterinnasia aegyptia, on the growth arrest of colon cancer cells. Venom from Echis coloratus but not of Walterinnasia aegyptia significantly induced apoptosis in LoVo, HTC-116 and HT-29 colon cancer cell lines using Annexin V/PI kit and flow cytometry analysis. Furthermore, venom from Echis coloratus obviously and significantly altered the cell cycle of all these cell lines by increasing sub-G1 phase (apoptotic cells), delaying G0/G1 phase and decreasing S phase using PI single stain and flow cytometry analysis. The effect of this venom on the cell cycle was dependent on the up-regulation of P53 expression and down-regulation of Cyclin D1 expression as measured by Western blot. This venom decreased the production of interleukin 6(IL-6), which is the most metastatic protien, from these colon cancer cells using ELISA analysis. In conclusion, The initial use of this animal toxin demonstrated that snake venoms induce growth arrest of colon cancer cells, offering a novel innovative therapeutic strategy.
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