A look into the anti-carcinogenic effects of Portulaca oleracea polysaccharides
By dominguez // 2020-06-08
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Researchers at Heilongjiang August First Land Reclamation University and Daqing Oilfield Hospital in China analyzed the inhibitory effects of Portulaca oleracea (common purslane) polysaccharide (POL-P3b) on intestinal dendritic cell apoptosis and the mechanisms underlying this activity. Their findings were published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
  • Cervical cancer is the second most prevalent cancer in the world.
  • Studies have found that POL-P3b can enhance immunity and exerts anti-cancer effects when taken orally.
  • To further investigate this, the researchers isolated intestinal dendritic cells (DC), which play a key role in regulating intestinal immune homeostasis, from U14-bearing mice treated with 50 mg/kg, 100 mg/kg and 200 mg/kg POL-P3b.
  • They used MTT assay and staining techniques to evaluate the effects of POL-P3b on DC proliferation and apoptosis.
  • They also used flow cytometry to analyze mitochondrial calcium uptake and Western blotting to determine the mechanisms underlying POl-P3b-induced protection of intestinal DC from cervical cancer-induced apoptosis.
  • The researchers found that a large number of intestinal DC were undergoing apoptosis in U14-bearing mice.
  • POL-P3b treatment at different doses for 12 days significantly improved intestinal DC survival.
  • It also protected intestinal DC against tumor-induced apoptosis by activating the TLR4/PI3K/AKT-NF-kB signaling pathway, which increased Bcl-2 and mitochondrial calcium levels, prevented the release of cytochome c from mitochondria and reduced the expression of caspase 3.
Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that oral POL-P3b exerts its anti-cancer effects against cervical cancer by inhibiting apoptosis. Read the full study at this link. Journal Reference: Zhao R, Shao X, Jia G, Huang Y, Liu Z, Song B, Hou J. ANTI-CERVICAL CARCINOMA EFFECT OF PORTULACA OLERACEA L. POLYSACCHARIDES BY ORAL ADMINISTRATION ON INTESTINAL DENDRITIC CELLS. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2019;19(1). DOI: 10.1186/s12906-019-2582-9
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