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Assessment of anti-cancer potential of Hyalomma dromedarii salivary glands extract: in vitro study

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Abstract

Cancer is still one of the deadly diseases worldwide and the need for naturally-derived effectors is a pursued aim in health research. With the outstanding ability to bypass the host’s various defense mechanisms, tick saliva constitutes an interesting rich source for the discovery of therapeutically-valuable molecules. Therefore, the present work aimed to evaluate the anti-tumor potential of Hyalomma dromedarii salivary glands extract (SGE). Three cell lines were used in this study, namely HCT116 (colorectal cancer), A549 (lung cancer) and HFB4 (normal skin) cells. MTT assay and light microscopy revealed significant dose-dependent inhibition of proliferation with obvious morphological changes in tested cell lines. Colon cells exhibited more sensitivity than lung ones, therefore they were selected for further investigations. Although cytotoxic effects were observed in treated-HFB4 cells, its IC50 value was much higher than that of HCT116 cells. Flow cytometry analysis of treated HCT116 cells showed accumulation of cellular DNA at the G2/M phase and induction of apoptosis. In addition, RT-qPCR indicated down-regulation in the expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2), transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and interleukin-4 (IL-4) genes. These results demonstrated that H. dromedarii SGE has anti-proliferative, apoptotic and anti-angiogenic potential. Also, they open perspectives for characterization of effective molecules that could be used in developing treatments for colorectal cancer. Further investigations are required to identify the mechanisms, molecules and signaling pathways involved in the inhibitory effect of the SGE.

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The data supporting the conclusions of this article are included within the article.

Abbreviations

A549:

Lung cancer cell line

DMEM:

Dulbeco’s Modified Eagle’s Medium

DMSO:

Dimethylsulfoxide

ELISA:

Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay

FBS:

Fetal bovine serum

FGF-2:

Fibroblast growth factor-2

FITC:

Fluorescein isothiocyanate

HCT116:

Colorectal cancer cell line

HFB4:

Normal skin cell line

IC50 :

The half maximal inhibitory concentration

IFγ:

Interferon-γ

IL:

Interleukin

MTT:

3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide

OD:

Optical density

PBS:

Phosphate buffered saline

PDGF:

Platelet derived growth factor

PI:

Propidium iodide

RT-qPCR:

Real time-quantitative polymerase chain reaction

SGE:

Salivary glands extract

TGF-β:

Transforming growth factor-β

TNF-α:

Tumor necrosis factor-α

VEGF:

Vascular endothelial growth factor

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Correspondence to Wessam S. Ibrahim.

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Ibrahim, W.S., Mohamed, F.S.A., Abdel Samie, E.M. et al. Assessment of anti-cancer potential of Hyalomma dromedarii salivary glands extract: in vitro study. Biologia 76, 1215–1225 (2021). https://doi.org/10.2478/s11756-020-00634-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/s11756-020-00634-4

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