114E-10 |
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I. GOKTEPE, B. Milford, and M. Ahmedna. Food Science & Nutrition Program, North Carolina A&T State Univ., Dept. of Human Environment & Family Sciences, 161 Carver Hall, Greensboro, NC 27411 Poke root (Phytolacca americana) is an American perennial shrub which grows in damp woodlands, hedges, and waste places, especially in the South. The primary chemical constituents of poke root include triterpenoid saponins, alkaloids, phytolaccic acid, formic acid, lectins, tannin, antiviral protein (PAP), fatty oil, resin, and sugars. Although poke root has been broadly used as an alterative to restore the proper function of the body, and increase health and vitality by American Indians, there is very limited information on its properties against cancer. Therefore, this study was carried out to ascertain anticarcinogenic effects of poke root on breast cancer cells. Poke roots were freeze-dried and powdered. The powdered materials were extracted three times with methanol/water mixture and/or water. The extracts were administered at concentrations of 0 to 1 mg/mL into human breast (ATCC ZR-75-30) cell cultures maintained in RPMI medium supplemented with 10% FBS and cultured in the presence of a serial dilution of crude extracts for 24, 48, and 72 h. The antiproliferative activity of crude extracts from poke root on cancer cells was measured using MTT assay. Methanol/water extracts of poke root significantly reduced breast cancer cells’ proliferation and growth at concentration of 0.6 mg/mL and above. The water extract of poke root showed less inhibitory effect on breast cancer cell growth. There is a need for detailed investigation of the mechanism of modulation of poke root extracts and based on that, a possible therapeutic agent can be visualized.
Session 114E, Nutraceuticals & Functional Foods: Bioactivity measurement and mechanism
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