Discipline: Biological Sciences
Subcategory: Cancer Research
Session: 1
Tiffany D. Davis - Jackson State University
Colorectal cancer is the third-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Although, there are drugs for the treatment of colorectal cancer, most are not effective to ameliorate the suffering of colorectal cancer patients. One common and well-known treatment is chemotherapy; the treatment of disease using chemical substances. Some chemical substances include: 5-Fluorouracil, Xeloda, Oxaliplatin, and Irinotecan. These drugs are not effective to eliminating colorectal cancer cells because in the advanced stage of this deadly disease, cells become resistant to drugs. Therefore, it is imperative to find a new drug for the treatment of colorectal cancer that will be effective in the advanced stage and also without harmful side effects. In this study we examined the effect of Vernonia amygdalina (VA) on the colorectal cancer cells. VA is a plant extract found in the Eastern and Western parts of Africa. It is best known for its anticancer, anti-bacteria, anti-malaria, and anti-parasite agents. To be exact, VA has treated ailments such as malaria, hepatitis, and diabetes. Unlike many other drugs, studies have not shown this extract to have any harmful side effects. Our hypothesis is that VA will inhibit the growth of colorectal cancer cells, contributing to the cure of colorectal cancer. To test this hypothesis, we analyzed the ability of VA to inhibit growth and proliferation of colorectal cancer cells HCT 116 using the MTT assay. The normal cell line of the intestinal epithelium, CCD-841-CoTr was used as control.
We observed that aqueous leaf extracts of VA significantly inhibit the proliferation of HCT116 cells at the dose of 200°g/ml after 24hrs of treatment (P<0.05). The proliferation of CCD-841-CoTr cells was not affected at that dose. VA therefore appears as an attractive natural product that could be effective and safe in the treatment of colorectal cancer.
Funder Acknowledgement(s): NIH/NIMHD-RCMI-CEH Grant # G12MD007581-18
Faculty Advisor: Dr. Felicite Noubissi, 16dtiffany@gmail.com
Role: I tested the plant extract, Vernonia amygdalina on the colorectal cancer cells using the MTT assay and analyzed the data given after using the spectrophotometer.