Problem
Cancer is a momentous issue today and drawbacks of current treatments include that they are relatively ineffective, highly toxic to healthy cells, have adverse side effects and can lead to the development of multidrug resistance. This has pushed for research into novel phytochemicals for cancer treatment.
Rationale
I determined that EOs would be effective anticancer compounds because:
It has been suggested that EOs display antioxidant and antiinflammatory effects which are valuable in cancer treatment because free radicals and chronic inflammation can activate anti apoptotic pathways and pathways related to increased cellular proliferation. Also, EOs can play a role in preventing cancer because DNA damage caused by free radicals can …show more content…
Also, synergistic effects of myrrh and frankincense EOs were determined. EOs were tested on the HCT-8 cell line. 6 EOs of interest were then tested for their anticancer effects on the cancerous A549, and U343 cell lines as well as the WI38 cell line which is a non-cancerous cell line. The mechanisms employed by these EOs in order to induce cell death were determined by measuring changes in mitochondrial membrane potential, caspase-3 activity, and antioxidant properties. Also, the applicability of EOs in the prevention of cancer was determined using an antioxidant assay.
Significance
This research is significant because overall, of the EOs tested chia, moringa, vanilla, almond, and pomegranate EOs are not widely studied or used and they have not been evaluated for their antibacterial or anticancer effects and therefore this study evaluates their potential as novel anticancer phytochemicals.
Also, research into the effects of EOs on non-cancerous cell lines is lacking and the mechanisms employed by EOs in order to induce cell death are not …show more content…
JC-1 is a cationic dye that accumulates in the mitochondria. Low concentrations of the JC-1 dye within the mitochondrial indicates low mitochondrial membrane potential and produces green fluorescence. High concentrations of JC-1 dye indicates high mitochondrial membrane potential and produces a red-orange coloured emission. Therefore, a decrease in fluorescence indicates a decrease in mitochondrial membrane potential indicating mitochondrial depolarization and therefore increased fluidity of mitochondrial membrane. This assay was used order to measure mitochondrial membrane potential in the A549 and U343 cell lines following 24 treatment with the same EOs used in phase 2. The protocol only permitted the testing of one concentration of each EO which was