Discipline: Chemistry and Chemical Sciences
Subcategory: Biochemistry (not Cell and Molecular Biology and Genetics)
Session: 1
Room: Exhibit Hall A
Alexander Gonzales - CSU Bakersfield
Co-Author(s): Donna Rotella, Garrett Webster, Samantha Martinez-Iniguez, Meishan Chen, Thomas Song, Navdeep Kaur, Henna Singh, Nicholas Pineda, Diana Rios, Omar Sandoval, Isabel Davis, Julian Parent, Daisy Arichega, and Sarah Forester
According to the American Cancer Society, colon cancer is the third most common type of cancer in the United States for both men and women. Consumption of certain phytochemicals in foods and beverages may help prevent this disease. Terpenes, phenolics, alpha-acids, and beta-acids derived from hops (Humulus lupulus) contribute to the flavour, and preservative characteristics of craft beer. This study investigates the contribution of these intrinsic bioactive components from hops in the potential anticancer activity of beer. Two beers were chosen as precedence for hops selection, El Cerrito a Mexican lager with a 22 IBU index, and Hollow Body an Indian Pale Ale with a 44 IBU index. From Hollow body, the hops used were Citra & El Dorado hops; and from El Cerrito, the hops used were Saaz hops. To extract the essential oils an ethanol soxhlet extraction was carried out to extract the alpha- and beta-acids, winterized to precipitate the lipids, and distilled to get rid of any remaining ethanol. The two oil extracts, Citra/El Dorado and Saaz, were dissolved in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO) before being resuspended in cell culture media at varying diluted concentrations. HT-29 and Caco-2 human colon cancer cells were incubated with various concentrations (0 – 1000 ppm) of the oil extract treatments for 24 hours. DMSO was added to all treated and control cells at a concentration of 0.1% (v/v). Following incubation, cell viability was quantified using the thiazolyl blue tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Both the Saaz and Citra/El Dorado oil extracts inhibited growth of the HT-29 cells in a dose-dependent manner. At a concentration of 500 ppm, the Saaz and Citra/El Dorado oil extracts inhibited cell viability by 88.6% and 83.1%, respectively. At the same concentration, the Saaz and Citra/El Dorado oil extracts inhibited cell viability of Caco-2 cells by 91.8% and 90.0%, respectively. This level of inhibition was comparable to a previous experiment in our lab where HT-29 cells were treated with aqueous hops extracts. We conclude that hops may contribute to the potential anticancer effects of beer, whether it is made using ethanol-based oil extracts or water-based freeze-dried extracts. The anti-proliferative effects of the hops treatments potentially resulted from bioactive molecules such as alpha/beta-acids and polyphenols. In future experiments, alpha- and beta-acids will be isolated and used to treat colon cancer cells.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): CSU Bakersfield Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, Research Council of the University, CSU Bakersfield LSAMP Chapter, CSU Bakersfield Student Research Scholar Program
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Sarah Forester, Sforester@csub.edu
Role: I played a role in designing, coordinating, and aiding in the experimental procedure; excluding, the culturing of the cancer cells in the latest run, as it was handed off to another student in my group for the experience-- As I have done it before