Title:Anticancer Effect of Amygdalin (Vitamin B-17) on Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cell Line (HepG2) in the Presence and Absence of Zinc
Volume: 20
Issue: 4
Author(s): Mohamed A. El-Desouky, Abdelgawad A. Fahmi*, Ibrahim Y. Abdelkader and Karima M. Nasraldin
Affiliation:
- Department of Chemistry, Faculty of Science, Cairo University, Cairo,Egypt
Keywords:
Amygdalin, vitamin B-17, hepatocellular carcinoma, anti-cancer, Bcl2, caspase-3, P53, zinc.
Abstract:
Background: Amygdalin (Vitamin B-17) is a naturally occurring vitamin found in the seeds of the
fruits of Prunus Rosacea family including apricot, bitter almond, cherry, and peach.
Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of amygdalin with and without zinc on hepatocellular
carcinoma (HepG2) cell line.
Methods: MTT assay was used to evaluate the cytotoxicity of amygdalin without zinc, amygdalin + 20μmol
zinc, and amygdalin + 800μmol zinc on HepG2 cell lines. The cell cycle distribution assay was determined by
flow cytometry. Apoptosis was confirmed by Annexin V-FITC/PI staining assay. Moreover, the pathway of
apoptosis was determined by the percentage of change in the mean levels of P53, Bcl2, Bax, cytochrome c, and
caspase-3.
Results: Amygdalin without zinc showed strong anti-HepG2 activity. Furthermore, HepG2 cell lines treatment
with amygdalin + 20μmol zinc and amygdalin + 800μmol zinc showed a highly significant apoptotic effect than
the effect of amygdalin without zinc. Amygdalin treatment induced cell cycle arrest at G2/M and increased the
levels of P53, Bax, cytochrome c, and caspase-3 significantly, while it decreased the level of anti-apoptotic Bcl2.
Conclusion: Amygdalin is a natural anti-cancer agent, which can be used for the treatment of hepatocellular
carcinoma. It promotes apoptosis via the intrinsic cell death pathway (the mitochondria-initiated pathway) and
cell cycle arrest at G/M. The potency of amygdalin in HepG2 treatment increased significantly by the addition
of zinc.
