In recent medical advancements, researchers have made significant strides in understanding and addressing the complexities of cancer, particularly breast cancer. A study published in the journal BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine (vol. 19, article number: 98) suggests that a natural health product, Hibiscus rosa-sinesis (hibiscus) flower extract, may become an important part of this ongoing battle, selectively inducing apoptosis in breast cancer cells and showing compatibility with conventional chemotherapies.
DOI: 10.1186/s12906-019-2505-9
The detailed study conducted by Christopher C Nguyen, Kiruthika K Baskaran, Alaina A Pupulin, Ivan I Ruvinov, Ola O Zaitoon, Sahibjot S Grewal, Benjamin B Scaria, Ali A Mehaidli, Caleb C Vegh, and Siyaram S Pandey of the University of Windsor in Canada, opens up the possibility of using hibiscus extract as an adjunct in cancer therapy. This plant extract is already renowned for its antioxidant and hypolipidemic effects, signaling its potential effectiveness against cancer with fewer side effects.
The Promise of Hibiscus Extract in Breast Cancer Treatment
Breast cancer is the most prevalent form of cancer in women across the world and is often characterized by hormone-receptor-positive (estrogen-receptor-positive) or triple-negative subtypes. The latter proves particularly challenging to treat due to its lack of sensitivity to hormonal therapy and its aggressive nature. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has published global statistics indicating the persistent threat of this disease (Torre et al. 2015). Identifying novel ways to combat breast cancer is crucial for increasing the quality of life and survival rates for patients.
The study in question assessed the efficacy of aqueous hibiscus flower extract in inducing apoptosis, a process of programmed cell death that is often targeted in cancer therapies, in both triple-negative and estrogen-receptor-positive breast cancer cell lines. The researchers treated these cancer cell lines and non-cancerous cells with the extract, observing the resulting effects.
Seek and Destroy: Hibiscus Extract’s Selective Target
Notably, the hibiscus extract demonstrated the ability to selectively initiate apoptosis in cancerous cells while sparing normal cells. This selective toxicity is crucial because traditional chemotherapy can have devastating side effects due to its impact on healthy cells. The researchers assessed the apoptotic morphology and biochemical marker expression to determine the potency of the extract’s anticancer effects.
Enhancing Chemotherapy with Nature’s Touch
The research also examined the interactions between the hibiscus extract and common chemotherapeutic agents: taxol, cisplatin, and tamoxifen. Encouragingly, hibiscus extract combined with these drugs produced a synergistic effect, particularly enhancing the apoptotic effect of taxol and cisplatin in triple-negative breast cancer cells. Thus, hibiscus extract could potentially make chemotherapy more effective, allowing for lower dosages and reduced toxicity (Weigelt et al. 2005).
The Science Behind the Plant
The scientific community has long investigated the role of oxidative stress and mitochondrial function in cancer cell survival (Wong et al. 2011; Panieri et al. 2016). In line with this research, the University of Windsor team quantified the reduction of mitochondrial membrane potential and the generation of reactive oxygen species when cancer cells were treated with hibiscus extract. The findings suggested that the hibiscus-induced apoptosis was associated with increased oxidative stress and a compromised mitochondrial membrane potential, fitting within the understood paradigms of cancer cell death mechanisms (Wang et al. 2009; Zasadil et al. 2014).
Not Just an Isolated Case: Hibiscus Among Other Natural Extracts
The findings regarding Hibiscus rosa-sinesis are part of a larger conversation about the role of natural health products in cancer treatment. With the growing interest in nutraceuticals and their impact on health (Trottier et al. 2010), studies have looked at various plant extracts and their anticancer properties (Ovadje et al. 2016; Philion et al. 2017). The consistency of findings across different types of natural extracts opens up new avenues for adjuvant therapy in cancer treatment.
Moving Forward: Integrating Hibiscus Extract into Treatment Protocols
While these findings are promising, the researchers acknowledge that further studies, particularly clinical trials, are necessary to fully understand the potential of hibiscus extract in breast cancer therapy. Nonetheless, this study lays the groundwork for potentially incorporating hibiscus as a supplementary treatment option, aiming to alleviate the side effects of potent chemotherapeutic agents.
References for Further Reading
1. Torre LA, Bray F, Siegel RL, Ferlay J, Lortet-Tieulent J, Jemal A. Global cancer statistics, 2012. CA Cancer J Clin. 2015;65(2):87–108. doi: 10.3322/caac.21262.
2. Wang C, Youle RJ. The role of mitochondria in apoptosis. Annu Rev Genet. 2009;43:95–118. doi: 10.1146/annurev-genet-102108-134850.
3. Wong RS. Apoptosis in cancer: from pathogenesis to treatment. J Exp Clin Cancer Res. 2011;30:87. doi: 10.1186/1756-9966-30-87.
4. Weigelt B, Peterse JL, van ‘t Veer LJ. Breast cancer metastasis: markers and models. Nat Rev Cancer. 2005;5(8):591–602. doi: 10.1038/nrc1670.
5. Ovadje P, Ammar S, Guerrero JA, Arnason JT, Pandey S. Dandelion root extract affects colorectal cancer proliferation and survival through the activation of multiple death signalling pathways. Oncotarget. 2016;7(45):73080–73100. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.11485.
Keywords
1. Hibiscus Breast Cancer Treatment
2. Apoptosis in Cancer Therapy
3. Natural Extracts Chemotherapy
4. Triple-Negative Breast Cancer
5. Adjuvant Cancer Therapy
Conclusion
The leap from laboratory research to clinical practice involves numerous steps and careful validation. However, the compelling results from this study regarding hibiscus flower extract as a complementary approach to breast cancer treatment suggest a bright future. Selectively targeting cancer cells while enhancing the effects of existing chemotherapeutics could revolutionize treatment protocols and open doors for novel therapies, encompassing the power of nature in our fight against cancer. As research shapes the future of oncology, patients stand to benefit from treatments that are not only effective but also mindful of their long-term well-being.