In vivo and in vitro antitumor effects of Helix desertorum hemolymph by inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis

Background: Natural products, those extracted from invertebrate animals have medical importance as therapeutic agents especially for cancer treatment. Aim of the Work: The current study was conducted to evaluate the antitumor effect of the hemolymph of the desert snail, Helix desertorum (HD-H) on tumor Ehrlich ascetic carcinoma cells (EAC) cell line in vitro and in vivo. Materials and Methods: Helix desertorum (HD-H) was collected from their suitable habitats, identified, and then their hemolymph was collected, to evaluate their antitumor effect. 40 female albino mice were divided into five groups (n=8) as the following: group 1 (Gp1) control mice were inoculated intraperitoneal (i.p) with 1x106 EAC cells/mouseat day 0, Gp2 (EAC/Cis): Mice were injected with EAC-cells as in Gp1 and at day 2 were injected with cisplatin (40 mg/Kg), Gp3 was inoculated with EAC and then treated with splenocytes activated with HD-H, Gp4was inoculated with EAC and then treated with splenocytes activated with IL-2/Con A, and Gp5 was inoculated with EAC and then treated with splenocytes without activation. All groups were sacrificed to evaluate the tumor profile, hematological and biochemical. Results: The results showed that treatment with HD-H led to decrease tumor volume, their cell counts, increase the percentage of the apoptotic cells and arresting the cancer cell cycle. Moreover, treatment with HD-H improved the hematological and biochemical parameters on tumor-bearing mice. Conclusion: In conclusion, HD-H has potential in vitro and in vivo antitumor effects against EAC-cells. Further study is recommended to evaluate the potential efficacy of HD-H as a potential anticancer