Cytotoxic Effect of Celecoxib and Portulacaoleracea Leaf and Seeds Extract on Rat Hepatocytes

Abstract

Cancer is an uncontrollable and unchecked division of cells. Cancer can occur in any part of body . Most cancer patients die from cancer that recurs after spreading to a different tissue, rather than from their original tumor  All cancers originate from a single cell that starts to behave abnormally, to divide uncontrollably, and, eventually, to invade adjacent tissues. Mechanistic studies indicated that celecoxib exhibits pro-apoptotic effects by inhibiting 3-phosphoinositide-dependent kinase-1 (PDK-1) and the downstream protein kinase B (Akt) signaling pathway in human colon cancer cells . A recent study demonstrated that celecoxib downregulates specificity protein 1 by inhibiting c-Jun N-terminal kinase, thus enhancing the radiation sensitivity and inhibiting the migration and invasion of cancer cells. Purslane (Portulacaoleracea) is a weed naturally found in driveways, lawns, and fields and edible in many regions of Europe, Asia, the Middle East, Africa, and Australia.  Previous studies supported that it owns many pharmacological activities, including antidiabetic activity, anti-cancer activity, hepatoprotective activity, anti-microbial effect, and antioxidant activity. Plant materials have been used for the treatment of malignant diseases for centuries and  extensive  epidemiological surveys have demonstrated that food habits or food components are critical  factors  in  terms  of  cancer  incidence  and  prevention.Therefore, the present study was conducted to compare and correlate the morphological and cytotoxic effect of celecoxib and portulacaoleracea leaf and seeds extract on rat hepatocytes.  Material and methods: water based extraction of portulacaoleracea from both leaves and seeds was performed. Primary cell culture of rat liver tissues were cultured under in 10% supplemented RPMI and incubated at 37 C, 5 % CO2. Cells were exposed to various concentrations of celecoxib and portulacaoleracea leaf and seeds extract. Morphological examination was observed daily. The cells were treated with MTT at concentration for 3hr. DMSO 1% was added to each well after incubation (37 C, 5 % CO2) period and the absorbance was measured at 492 nm using microplate reader. Data was collected and analysed in triplicates and an average was obtained for each reading. The half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) was calculated. Results: our results show that strong and apparent morphological changes are seen under on hepatic primary cells when exposed to different concentrations of celecoxib. Furthermore the cytotoxic effect of celecoxib increases with dose response and half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) was reached under 59.7 μg/ml of celecoxib.  Hepatic Cellular response under exposure to portulacaoleracea leaf and seeds extract was non-significant. Morphological appearance was stable under high conditions. Cytotoxic effect of portulacaoleracea leaf and seeds extract was only seen under higher concentration of seed extract. Half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) was not reached under the studied concentrations of portulacaoleracea leaf and seeds extract. Conclusion: We conclude that celecoxib is a potent cytotoxic agent and portulacaoleracea leaf and seeds extract is a weak anticancer agent compared to celecoxib. However a combination of both celecoxib and portulacaoleracea seed extract may both serve as a potent cytotoxic agent.