Effect of Cinnamon Oil and Scorpion Venom on Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Cell Line ( In vitro study)

Review: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), one of the most common neoplasms in the head and neck, is a major public health challenge. Cinnamon oils have proved to have powerful anticancer properties. Scorpion Venoms are rich in active sources which are used for treatment of multiple diseases including cancer. There is no evidence about the effect and the type of pharmacological interaction in combined treatment of this cinnamon oil with scorpion venom against cancer cells. Aim of study: The current study aimed to unveil the cytotoxic effect and apoptotic potential of cinnamon oil, scorpion venom and their combination on OSCC cell line. Material and Methods: OSCC cell line was used in this study. The study design was divided into four groups. Group I (control), group II (cinnamon oil treated), group III (scorpion venom treated) and group IV (cinnamon oil + scorpion venom treated). Cytotoxcity was examined using MTT assay while apoptosis was detected by calculating nuclear area factor (NAF) and BAX gene expression of different groups. Results: The combination group showed the lowest IC50 of all groups. It also revealed the lowest mean NAF and the highest mean fold change in BAX gene expression Conclusion: Combination of Cinnamon oil and Scorpion venom could be a promising anticancer cure for OSCC as this combination showed an effective cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic effects on OSCC cell line. KEY WARDS, OSCC, Cinnamon, scorpion venom, apoptosis, BAX gene. (534) Seham Ahmed Abdel Ghani and Basma Abdelrahman Ahmed E.D. J. Vol. 68, No. 1 Streptococcus mutans and Candida albicans in yielding cancer should not be underestimated. Hence, the ideal cancer therapy is not only a one targeting malignant cells, but also targeting the causative carcinogenic organisms [2-3]. Combination therapies of surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy are the standard treatment for the disease yet. Unfortunately, these procedures are associated with a number of side effects including esthetic and functional impairment [4]. Herbal therapy is being encouraged recently by researchers as an anticancer adjuvant treatment. This could be attributed to the anti-oxidant and antimicrobial activities of the polyphenols, flavanoids, alkaloids and other constituents of herbs [5]. Cinnamon is a spice of the Lauraceae family. It is widely used in cooking and perfume industry. Oil extracts differ from variable parts of the plant. Oil from bark is Cinnamonaldehyde, eugenol is the leaf oil whereas the root oil is camphor. Cinnamon oils are powerful antimicrobial agents and strong immunity boosters [5,6]. Cinnamaldehyde and Eugenol are reported to have an anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects. They decrease the production of inflammatory mediators, cytokines, and reactive oxygen species in diseases like Alzheimer’s disease and gut injuries [7, 8]. In a recent preclinical study, it was documented that cinnamaldehyde has an antioxidant, anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic properties that reduced visfatin-induced breast cancer progression [9]. Venoms are rich in pharmacologically active molecules which are used as a cure of numerous diseases including cancer. The venom proteins revealed anti-proliferative, cytotoxic, pro-apoptotic, and immunosuppressive effects on cancer cell lines [10]. Scorpion venom is a complex mixture of toxins, enzymes and antimicrobial peptides. It was proved that scorpion venom has anticarcinogenic action through binding specifically to cell membranes thus affecting cell proliferation and migration[11]. Moreover, it exerts an apoptotic activity by induction of caspase-dependent apoptotic pathways or cell cycle arrest in various cell lines as breast and colon cancer cell lines [12]. Apoptosis is a highly programmed mechanism by which cells die. The intrinsic pathway of apoptosis is regulated by pro-apoptotic and anti-apoptotic genes. BAX gene is a pro-apoptotic gene, which is targeted by cancer therapy in an attempt to kill cancer cells [13] . Consequently, apoptosis causes morphological changes of cells and nuclei. Nuclear area factor (NAF) is considered a method for measuring these morphological changes as it determines changes in nuclear surface area and circularity [14]. There is no evidence about the effect and the type of pharmacological interaction in combined treatment of this scorpion venom with chemotherapeutic drugs or herbs against oral cancer and normal oral cells. Accordingly, the aim of the present study was to examine and compare the cytotoxic effects and apoptotic potentials of cinnamon oil and scorpion venom on OSCC cell line, also to evaluate the combined effect of both on OSCC cell line. MATERIALS AND METHODS The material used in this study · Cell line: SCC25 cell line of the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC) was obtained from NAWAH scientific, Cairo, Egypt. The cells were grown in Dulbeco’s Modified Eagle’s Medium (DMEM) (Sigma-Aldrich) at PH=7.2 and 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS) (Sigma-Aldrich) at 37°c. · Scorpion venom: Leiurusquinquestriatus scorpion venom was a gift from Dr. Ali Fahmy at Scientific and Biotechnology Research Center-Al Azhar University. · Cinnamon Oil 100% natural pure bark oil (Cinnamaldehyde) was purchased from MAKIN-Pharmaceuticals Egypt. EFFECT OF CINNAMON OIL AND SCORPION VENOM ON ORAL SQUAMOUS CELL CARCINOMA (535)