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Therapeutic Effects of Crocin Alone or in Combination with Sorafenib against Hepatocellular Carcinoma: In Vivo & In Vitro Insights

This study investigated the therapeutic effects of the phytochemical crocin alone or in combination with sorafenib both in rats chemically induced with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and in human liver cancer cell line (HepG2). Male rats were randomly divided into five groups, namely, control group,...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores principales: Abdu, Suzan, Juaid, Nouf, Amin, Amr, Moulay, Mohamed, Miled, Nabil
Formato: Online Artículo Texto
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: MDPI 2022
Materias:
Acceso en línea:https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9495549/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36139719
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/antiox11091645
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author Abdu, Suzan
Juaid, Nouf
Amin, Amr
Moulay, Mohamed
Miled, Nabil
author_facet Abdu, Suzan
Juaid, Nouf
Amin, Amr
Moulay, Mohamed
Miled, Nabil
author_sort Abdu, Suzan
collection PubMed
description This study investigated the therapeutic effects of the phytochemical crocin alone or in combination with sorafenib both in rats chemically induced with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and in human liver cancer cell line (HepG2). Male rats were randomly divided into five groups, namely, control group, HCC induced group, and groups treated with sorafenib, crocin or both crocin and sorafenib. HCC was induced in rats with a single intraperitoneal injection of diethylnitrosamine (DEN), then 2-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF). The HCC-induced rats showed a significant decrease in body weight compared to animals treated with either or both examined drugs. Serum inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein (CRP); interleukin-6 (IL-6); lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and oxidative stress markers were significantly increased in the HCC group and were restored upon treatment with either or both of therapeutic molecules. Morphologically, the HCC-induced rats manifested most histopathological features of liver cancer. Treatment with either or both of crocin and sorafenib successfully restored normal liver architecture. The expression of key genes involved in carcinogenesis (TNFα, p53, VEGF and NF-κB) was highly augmented upon HCC induction and was attenuated post-treatment with either or both examined drugs. Treatment with both crocin and sorafenib improved the histopathological and inflammation parameters as compared to single treatments. The in vivo anti-cancer effects of crocin and/or sorafenib were supported by their respective cytotoxicity on HepG2 cells. Crocin and sorafenib displayed an anti-tumor synergetic effect on HepG2 cells. The present findings demonstrated that a treatment regimen with crocin and sorafenib reduced liver toxicity, impeded HCC development, and improved the liver functions.
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spelling pubmed-94955492022-09-23 Therapeutic Effects of Crocin Alone or in Combination with Sorafenib against Hepatocellular Carcinoma: In Vivo & In Vitro Insights Abdu, Suzan Juaid, Nouf Amin, Amr Moulay, Mohamed Miled, Nabil Antioxidants (Basel) Article This study investigated the therapeutic effects of the phytochemical crocin alone or in combination with sorafenib both in rats chemically induced with hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and in human liver cancer cell line (HepG2). Male rats were randomly divided into five groups, namely, control group, HCC induced group, and groups treated with sorafenib, crocin or both crocin and sorafenib. HCC was induced in rats with a single intraperitoneal injection of diethylnitrosamine (DEN), then 2-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF). The HCC-induced rats showed a significant decrease in body weight compared to animals treated with either or both examined drugs. Serum inflammatory markers (C-reactive protein (CRP); interleukin-6 (IL-6); lactate dehydrogenase (LDH), and oxidative stress markers were significantly increased in the HCC group and were restored upon treatment with either or both of therapeutic molecules. Morphologically, the HCC-induced rats manifested most histopathological features of liver cancer. Treatment with either or both of crocin and sorafenib successfully restored normal liver architecture. The expression of key genes involved in carcinogenesis (TNFα, p53, VEGF and NF-κB) was highly augmented upon HCC induction and was attenuated post-treatment with either or both examined drugs. Treatment with both crocin and sorafenib improved the histopathological and inflammation parameters as compared to single treatments. The in vivo anti-cancer effects of crocin and/or sorafenib were supported by their respective cytotoxicity on HepG2 cells. Crocin and sorafenib displayed an anti-tumor synergetic effect on HepG2 cells. The present findings demonstrated that a treatment regimen with crocin and sorafenib reduced liver toxicity, impeded HCC development, and improved the liver functions. MDPI 2022-08-25 /pmc/articles/PMC9495549/ /pubmed/36139719 http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/antiox11091645 Text en © 2022 by the authors. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
spellingShingle Article
Abdu, Suzan
Juaid, Nouf
Amin, Amr
Moulay, Mohamed
Miled, Nabil
Therapeutic Effects of Crocin Alone or in Combination with Sorafenib against Hepatocellular Carcinoma: In Vivo & In Vitro Insights
title Therapeutic Effects of Crocin Alone or in Combination with Sorafenib against Hepatocellular Carcinoma: In Vivo & In Vitro Insights
title_full Therapeutic Effects of Crocin Alone or in Combination with Sorafenib against Hepatocellular Carcinoma: In Vivo & In Vitro Insights
title_fullStr Therapeutic Effects of Crocin Alone or in Combination with Sorafenib against Hepatocellular Carcinoma: In Vivo & In Vitro Insights
title_full_unstemmed Therapeutic Effects of Crocin Alone or in Combination with Sorafenib against Hepatocellular Carcinoma: In Vivo & In Vitro Insights
title_short Therapeutic Effects of Crocin Alone or in Combination with Sorafenib against Hepatocellular Carcinoma: In Vivo & In Vitro Insights
title_sort therapeutic effects of crocin alone or in combination with sorafenib against hepatocellular carcinoma: in vivo & in vitro insights
topic Article
url https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9495549/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/36139719
http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/antiox11091645
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