Abstract A14: The chemopreventive effects of natural compounds in Romina strawberries in human ovarian cancer cells
Authors: Haq Raisa S. , Forbes-Hernandez Tamara Y. , Cianciosi Danila , Ansari Johura , Battino Maurizio , Giampieri Francesca 
Published: September 2020

Introduction: Ovarian cancer is an aggressive cancer with poor survival rates once diagnosed, due to its insidious onset and the consequent late diagnosis in many women. Current screening methods do not allow for effective early diagnosis, and current therapeutic regimens often result in remission after initial treatment. Phytochemical compounds in natural food products, such as berries, have yielded a viable therapeutic option for multiple diseases, including various types of cancers, but have not yet been investigated in ovarian cancer. As such, this study aims to investigate the anticarcinogenic effects of bioactive components of berries on ovarian cancer cells cultured in 2- and 3-dimensional systems with the intention of creating berry-based dietary interventions and/or innovative, natural food products.

Methods: Methodology was split into two parts: the strawberry analysis and the in vitro studies of the NIH:OVCAR-3 epithelial cancer cells. Romina strawberries, a new cultivar released in 2011 from a breeding program at Marche Polytechnic University (UNIVPM, Ancona, Italy), were evaluated for standard parameters of nutritional value and bioactive compound quantity including total phenolic content and total flavonoid content (measured using spectrophotometric methods), total anthocyanin content (measured using mass spectrophotometer-high pressure liquid chromatography (MS-HPLC) analysis), and total antioxidant capacity (measured using Ferric Reducing Antioxidant Power, Trolox Equivalent Antioxidant Capacity, and the 2,2 Diphenyl-1-picrythydrazyl [DPPH] assay). For the in vitro studies NIH:OVCAR-3 were treated with berry extracts of different concentrations from 0-10 mg/ml and incubated for 28hr, 48hr, and 72 hr. NIH:OVCAR-3 were then assessed for cell viability, cell cycle, apoptosis rate, and intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation.

Results: Cell viability decreased with increasing concentration of strawberry extract and incubation time. After 48 hr of incubation, the IC70, IC50, and IC30 were 6.77 ug/ml, 10.22 ug/ml, and 13.67 ug/ml and these concentrations were selected for subsequent analysis. Strawberry extracts led to an increase in apoptotic rate and a remarkable rise in intracellular ROS levels in a dose-dependent manner; in addition, an arrest in cell cycle was detected after strawberry treatment.

Conclusion: The present study demonstrates that a phenolic-enriched strawberry extract can induce apoptosis and ROS as well as block cell cycle in ovarian cancer cells. These interesting results encourage further studies to further investigate the bioactive compounds and the molecular mechanism involved, as well as test the in vivo effects on ovarian cancer cells.

Citation Format: Raisa S. Haq, Tamara Y. Forbes-Hernandez, Danila Cianciosi, Johura Ansari, Maurizio Battino, Francesca Giampieri. The chemopreventive effects of natural compounds in Romina strawberries in human ovarian cancer cells [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the AACR Special Conference on Advances in Ovarian Cancer Research; 2019 Sep 13-16, 2019; Atlanta, GA. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Clin Cancer Res 2020;26(13_Suppl):Abstract nr A14.