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Greater Plantain (Plantago major) and Cancer (anticancer research): evidence and sources
P. major extracts/compounds inhibited proliferation of cancer cell lines (preclinical).
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BACKGROUND: has been reported to have anticancer and anti-inflammatory properties. However, its antiproliferative and anti-inflammatory mechanisms have not been fully elucidated. Moreover, which plant parts are more suitable as starting materials has not been explored. OBJECTIVES: extracts against MCF-7, MDA-MB-231, HeLaS3, A549, and KB cancer cell lines as well as their effects on inflammatory cytokines (tumor necrosis factor [TNF]-α, interleukin [IL]-1β, IL-6, and interferon [IFN]-γ) production by lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated THP-1 macrophages. MATERIALS AND METHODS: from different plant parts and its chemical compounds, i.e., ursolic acid (UA), oleanolic acid (OA), and aucubin were tested in this experiment. RESULTS: seeds exhibited the greatest antiproliferative activity. The methanol extracts of seeds also demonstrated the highest inhibition of TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, and IFN-γ production. Interestingly, the roots, which were commonly discarded, exhibited comparable activities to those of leaves and petioles. Furthermore, UA exhibited stronger activities than OA and aucubin. CONCLUSIONS: derived products with respect to anti-inflammatory. SUMMARY: TNF: Tumor Necrosis Factor; IL: Interleukin; IFN: Interferon; HPTLC: High Performance Thin Layer Chromatography; UA: Ursolic Acid; OA: Oleanolic Acid; AUC: Aucubin.
1 source supporting Greater Plantain for Cancer (anticancer research). Includes scientific publications, books, monographs and traditional-use references.
Mechanistic basis
This use is associated with the plant's anticancer (preclinical) action. Further evidence for that pharmacology:
Plantago major linn. and P. asiatica Linn. (Plantaginaceae) are commonly used as folk medicine in Taiwan for treating infectious diseases related to the respiratory, urinary and digestive tracts. In this study, we investigated the antiviral, cytotoxic and immunomodulatory activities of hot water extracts of these two species in vitro on a series of viruses, namely herpesviruses (HSV-1 and HSV-2), adenoviruses (ADV-3, ADV-8 and ADV-11), and on various human leukemia, lymphoma and carcinoma cells with XTT, BrdU and IFN-gamma kits. Results showed that hot water extract of P. asiatica possessed significant inhibitory activity on the proliferation of lymphoma (U937) and carcinoma (bladder, bone, cervix, kidney, lung and stomach) cells and on viral infection (HSV-2 and ADV-11). P. major and P. asiatica both exhibited dual effects of immunodulatory activity, enhancing lymphocyte proliferation and secretion of interferon-gamma at low concentrations ( 50 microg/ml). The present study concludes that hot water extracts of P. major and P. asiatica possess abroad-spectrum of antileukemia, anticarcinoma and antiviral activities, as well as activities which modulate cell-mediated immunity. Further investigations to elucidate the active component(s) of P. asiatica and P. major and to evaluate their clinical application are warranted.
Plantamajoside (PMS) is a major compound of Plantago asiatica and possesses anti-tumor property in several types of cancers. However, the effect of PMS on cervical cancer has not been investigated. This study aimed to investigate the effect of PMS on the migration and invasion of cervical cancer cell lines under hypoxic condition. Our results demonstrated that PMS significantly inhibited hypoxia-caused increases in cell migration and invasion of cervical cancer cells. The hypoxia-induced epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) process was prevented by PMS with increased E-cadherin expression, and decreased expression levels of N-cadherin and vimentin in cervical cancer cells. Besides, the expression levels of transcription factors slug and snail were suppressed by PMS in hypoxia-induced cervical cancer cells. The increased mRNA and protein levels of hypoxia-inducible factor 1alpha (HIF-1α) in hypoxia-induced cervical cancer cells were prevented by PMS. Furthermore, PMS blocked the hypoxia-induced activation of NF-κB and PI3K/Akt pathway in cervical cancer cells. Taken together, these findings suggest that PMS exerted an anti-tumor activity in cervical cancer through preventing the hypoxia-induced EMT. Thus, PMS might serve as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of cervical cancer.