Anticancer potential of Indian propolis against HT29 colon cancer cells

^a Molecular Endocrinology Laboratory, Department of Biosciences and Bioengineering, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India
^b Center for Indian Knowledge Systems, Indian Institute of Technology Roorkee, Roorkee, Uttarakhand, India

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

Indian propolis is known to have a lot of different bioactive compounds with a wide array of biological effects, but it’s still unknown how it works against colorectal carcinoma model. In this study, we assessed the in vitro anticancer efficacy of a 70% ethanolic extract of Indian propolis against HT29 colon cancer cells. The extract was tested for its physical and chemical properties as well as its phytochemical constitution. It was found to be high in phenolics and flavonoids, which are known to have strong antioxidant effects. Indian propolis decreased the viability of HT29 cells in a dose-dependent manner, exhibiting minimal toxicity towards HEK293 cells. Flow cytometric analysis and caspase-3/7 activation showed that the treated cells had the shape and nuclear features of apoptosis. Indian propolis also stopped HT29 cells from forming colonies, cell migration, and growing in 3D spheroids. In general, these results show that Indian propolis changes important cellular processes that are linked to the progression of colorectal carcinoma under in vitro conditions.