1. Evaluating the Anti-Cancer Efficacy of White Tea Extract in Colon Cancer and its Interactions with Chemotherapeutic Agents for the Treatment of Colon Cancer
- Author
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Khanafer, Jana
- Subjects
digestive system diseases - Abstract
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in Canada, and, at the latest stage of diagnosis, is a malignant tumour known as adenocarcinomas. The most commonly used conventional therapeutics for metastatic CRCs include FOLFOX and Taxol; however, these drugs exhibit serious side-effects due to their toxicity towards non-cancerous cells, thereby leading to poorer quality of life. Over many centuries, natural health products containing various bioactive compounds have shown to display anticancer activity. This occurs by targeting multiple pathways in cancer cells to selectively induce apoptosis, a form of programmed cell death. Our previous studies have shown that white tea extract, derived from the immature leaves of the Camellia sinensis plant species, is effective at inducing cell death and reducing tumour growth following oral administration in lymphoma and leukemia models, which are forms of blood cancer. However, the efficacy of this extract against human CRC has not been examined. The focus of this project is to investigate the anticancer effects in dose and time-dependent manners of white tea extract in colorectal cancer models. Our preliminary results have shown that white tea extract indeed reduced cell viability and induced apoptosis in colon cancer cells. Our next aim is to determine the efficacy of combining white tea extract with standard chemotherapeutics for colon cancer treatment. To do this, we will determine its interactions with FOLFOX and Taxol in cellular and animal models. If successful, these results will lead to the development of white tea extract as a supplemental therapy for CRC patients.
- Published
- 2020