The effects of ellagic acid and other pomegranate (Punica granatum L.) derivatives on human gastric cancer AGS cells

Cheshomi H, Bahrami AR, Rafatpanah H, Matin MM · Human & Experimental Toxicology · 2022 January

Objective

To investigate the anti-cancer effects of ellagic acid (EA) on a human gastric adenocarcinoma cell line (AGS) and in immunocompromised mice bearing human gastric tumors.

Conclusions

Ellagic acid exhibited anti-cancer effects on gastric adenocarcinoma, significantly reducing tumor volume and cancer cell proliferation and migration, and can be considered a safe anti-cancer agent for further preclinical studies.

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Insights

Ellagic acid, found naturally in pomegranates, significantly inhibits growth and migration of gastric cancer cells without causing notable side effects.

In the methodology of this study, High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) was employed to detect the presence of Ellagic Acid (EA) in samples. Various methods were then used to determine the various anti-cancer properties of different concentrations of pomegranate fruit juice, pomegranate peel extract, and pure EA. This included an MTT assay, apoptosis and scratch assay, gelatin zymography and quantitative RT-PCR. Additionally, the study examined the impact of these compounds on immunocompromised C57BL/6 mice carrying human gastric cancer tumors. Extending to discussing the results, it was found that EA inhibited both the proliferation and migration of gastric cancer cells in mice and altered gene expressions related to apoptosis and inflammation. The treatments with EA or pomegranate extract resulted in a noticeable decrease in tumor size in the lab mice. No significant side effects were reported from EA use. In sum, the results showed EA's potential as a safe and effective anti-cancer agent specific to gastric adenocarcinoma.

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