The effects of six herbal supplements commonly used by women on expression of aromatase (CYP19) and the activation of the estrogen receptor alpha (HER a) in HEPG2, H295R, and CHO-K1-BH4 cells / Darin N. Sujjavanich.
| Author/creator | Sujjavanich, Darin N. author. |
| Other author | Kalmus, Gerhard W., degree supervisor. |
| Other author | East Carolina University. Department of Biology. |
| Format | Theses and dissertations |
| Production | 2007. |
| Description | 63 leaves : illustrations ; 28 cm |
| Supplemental Content | Access via ScholarShip |
| Subjects |
| Subject | Breast cancer patients often consider taking herbal supplements concurrent with prophylactic chemotherapy under the impression that "natural" products will not interfere with the pharmaceutical treatment. The possibility exists that herbal supplements could even counteract chemotherapeutic agents by acting against or antagonizing the effects of selective estrogen receptor modifiers (SERMs) or aromatase inhibitors. The hypothesis is that ginseng, chaste tree berry, flaxseed, garlic, wild yam root, and soybean affect relative potencies, induce aromatase expression and demonstrate estrogenicity when administered at different concentrations to HepG2, H295R, and CHO-K1-BH4 cells. Cells from each of the three lines were treated with varying concentrations of aqueous extract for 72 hours; and IC50 values for each extract were determined by comparing cell survival in the treatment group versus the untreated group. This information was used to choose appropriate concentrations of extract for treating the H295R cells and determining whether or not aromatase mRNA levels were increased when compared to the levels in untreated cells. Chaste tree berry, flaxseed, garlic, ginseng, soybean, and wild yam root, did indeed demonstrate varying relative potencies in the three cell lines tested. The extracts in order of decreasing relative potency are garlic, wild yam root, ginseng, and chaste tree berry; flaxseed and soybean had surprisingly little effect on cell survival even at the highest extract concentration tested. Effect of these extracts on aromatase expression could not be determined based upon qRT-PCR results. A review of the current literature confirms that various extract types and components of all of these herbs, save for garlic, have been shown to bind to or affect activation of human estrogen receptor a. Given the results cited in the contemporary literature, it would seem prudent to advise patients undergoing treatment with SERMs to avoid the use of herbal supplements. |
| General note | Presented to the faculty of the Department of Biology. |
| General note | Advisor: Gerhard W. Kalmus |
| Dissertation note | M.S. East Carolina University 2007 |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (leaves 61-63). |
| Genre/form | Academic theses. |
| Genre/form | Academic theses. |
| Genre/form | Thèses et écrits académiques. |