CELLFOOD™ induces apoptosis in human mesothelioma and colorectal cancer cells by modulating p53, c-myc and pAkt signaling pathways

Our plain-English summary of CELLFOOD™ induces apoptosis in human mesothelioma and colorectal cancer cells by modulating p53, c-myc and pAkt signaling pathways, by B. Nuvoli, R. Santoro, S. Catalani, et al (Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research, 2014).

The study

• Authors: B. Nuvoli, R. Santoro, S. Catalani, S. Battistelli, S. Benedetti, F. Canestrari, R. Galati
• Journal: Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research
• Published: 2014;33(1):24
• Cited by: 16 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

Abstract

Background: CELLFOOD™ (CF) is a nutraceutical non-addictive, non-invasive, and completely non-toxic unique proprietary colloidal-ionic formula. Little is known about its effect on cancer cells in solid tumors. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect that CF has on different cancer cell lines and the mechanism by which the nutraceutical works.

Methods: The effect of CF on HFF (normal fibroblasts), Met5A (mesothelium), MSTO-211H, NCI-2452, Ist-Mes1, MPP89, Ist-Mes2 (mesothelioma), M14 (melanoma), H1650, H1975 (lung cancer), SKRB3 (breast cancer), and HCT-116 (colorectal cancer) cell growth was tested by cell proliferation and clonogenic assay. Among all of them, MSTO-211 and HCT-116 were analyzed for cell cycle by flow cytometry and western blot.

Results: All human cancer lines were suppressed on cell growth upon 1:200 CF treatment for 24 and 48 hours. Death was not observed in HFF and Met5A cell lines. Cell cycle analysis showed an increased sub-G1 with reduction of G1 in MSTO-211 and a cell cycle arrest of in G1 in HCT116. Activation of caspase-3 and cleavage of PARP confirmed an apoptotic death for both cell lines. Increased expression levels of p53, p21, and p27, downregulation of c-myc and Bcl-2, and inhibition of Akt activation were also found in CF-treated MSTO-211 and HCT-116 cells.

Conclusions: These findings ascertained an interaction between p53, c-myc, p21, p27, Bcl-2, PI3K/Akt pathway, and CF-induced apoptosis in MSTO-211H and HCT-116 cells, suggesting that CF acts as an important regulator of cell growth in human cancer cell lines. CF could be a useful nutraceutical intervention for prevention in colon cancer and mesothelioma.

In plain English

This was a laboratory study of cells grown in dishes. No people or animals were treated, and no asbestos was used. The authors tested CELLFOOD (CF), a proprietary supplement, on 12 cell lines. Ten were cancer lines, five of them mesothelioma, and two were normal lines (fibroblasts and mesothelium). Cells received CF diluted 1:200 to 1:1600 for 24 and 48 hours. In all cancer lines, growth fell as the dose rose, with significant reductions at 1:200. The normal lines showed no significant change at that dilution. A mesothelioma line (MSTO-211) and a colon cancer line (HCT-116) were the most sensitive and were studied further. After CF treatment, neither of these lines formed colonies. In MSTO-211 cells, the percentage in the sub-G1 phase, a sign of dying cells, was 2.5 untreated, 11.2 at 24 hours and 17.8 at 48 hours. Both lines showed signs of apoptosis (programmed cell death), changes in p53, p21, p27, c-myc and Bcl-2, and less activated Akt, though total Akt was unchanged. The authors concluded that they believe CF has potential chemopreventive benefits in human cancers.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Laboratory (in vitro) experiment on human cell lines grown in culture
• Who was studied: 12 human cell lines. Cancer lines: breast (SKRB3), colorectal (HCT116), lung (H1650, H1975), melanoma (M14) and mesothelioma (MSTO-211H, NCI-2452, Ist-Mes1, MPP89, Ist-Mes2). Normal lines: fibroblasts (HFF) and mesothelium (MeT5A). The work was done at the Regina Elena National Cancer Institute, Rome, and the University of Urbino, Italy. The dates of the experiments are not given.
• Exposure: CELLFOOD (CF), a liquid nutraceutical, at dilutions of 1:200, 1:400, 1:800 and 1:1600 for 24 and 48 hours. Later experiments used the 1:200 dilution. No asbestos exposure was studied.
• Main results:
  • In all cancer cell lines, CF reduced growth in a dose-dependent way, and the reduction was significant at the 1:200 dilution.
  • At the 1:200 dilution, the normal HFF and Met5A cell lines showed no significant changes.
  • HCT-116 (colon cancer) and MSTO-211 (mesothelioma) were the most sensitive lines and were selected for further study.
  • After CF 1:200 treatment, HCT-116 and MSTO-211 cells formed no colonies; colony yields of the normal HFF and Met-5A cells were unaffected.
  • In HCT-116 cells, the percentage in the G1 phase was 32.8 ± 0.8 untreated, 39.0 ± 0.19 after 24 hours of CF and 48.6 ± 1.5 after 48 hours.
  • In MSTO-211 mesothelioma cells, the percentage in the sub-G1 phase (an indicator of apoptosis) was 2.5 ± 0.03 untreated, 11.2 ± 1.0 after 24 hours of CF and 17.8 ± 2.0 after 48 hours.
  • Caspase-3 activation and PARP cleavage, markers of apoptosis, were detected in CF-treated MSTO-211 and HCT-116 cells.
  • In CF-treated HCT-116 and MSTO-211 cells, expression of p53, p21 and p27 increased compared with untreated controls.
  • In CF-treated HCT-116 and MSTO-211 cells, c-myc expression was downregulated compared with controls.
  • In HCT-116 and MSTO-211 cells, phosphorylated (activated) Akt decreased after CF treatment while total Akt did not change.
  • Bcl-2 decreased in CF-treated HCT-116 and MSTO-211 cells.
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that CF-induced apoptosis in MSTO-211 and HCT-116 cells involves p53, c-myc, Bcl-2, p21, p27 and the PI3K/Akt pathway. They stated that they believe CF has potential chemopreventive benefits in human cancers.

Topics

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Apoptosis, Mesothelioma, Colorectal Cancer, Fibroblast, Mesothelium, Lung Cancer.

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