A Simon's two-stage design trial evaluating the potential role of a kind of honey in preventing chemotherapy-hematopoietic toxicities

Acacia Honey-derived Bioactive Compounds Exhibit Induction of p53-dependent Apoptosis in the MCF-7 Human Breast Cancer Cell Line

Background

Research studies have focused on discovering new anti-proliferative and pro-apoptotic agents derived from natural products from which honey constitutes a prominent candidate. The Acacia honey (AH) is known to display anticancer activity, but the mechanisms of action are still not well defined.

Objectives

Using in vitro and computational approaches, we aimed to assess the interaction among selected bioactive compounds derived from AH, with the apoptotic protein p53, which could trigger apoptosis.

Methods

The phytocompounds of AH were investigated via gas chromatography–mass spectrophotometry analysis. The cytotoxic effect and induced apoptosis on the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line were assessed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5 diphenyltetrazolium bromide and acridine orange-ethidium bromide staining approaches. The molecular docking analysis between AH compounds and p53 was carried out.

Results

The drug-likeness prediction revealed that most of the identified compounds meet Lipinski’s rules. We demonstrate that AH exerts an interesting cytotoxic effect in a dose-dependent manner against the MCF-7 cell line with IC50 5.053µg/mL. Significant cell alterations and notable induced apoptosis were detected when cells were treated with AH. The molecular docking analysis revealed that melezitose is among the most important potential bioactive compounds that interact with p53 leading to apoptosis. The binding affinity was −8.1 kcal/mol, and the closest molecular interactions in the active site included 10 residues, which could explain the potential biological activity.

Conclusion

This work sheds light on AH as a significant source of bioactive chemicals with potential for promoting apoptosis that may be exploited as an alternative therapy for breast cancer.

Phytochemical Composition, Antioxidant, and Anticancer Activities of Sidr Honey: In Vitro and In Silico Computational Investigation

Cancer is one of the major causes of death worldwide. The repercussions of conventional therapeutic approaches present a challenge in the delivery of new effective treatments. Thus, more attention is being awarded to natural products, mainly honey. Honey could be the basis for the development of new therapies for cancer patients. The aim of this study is to assess the phytochemical profiling, antioxidant, drug-likeness properties, and anticancer activity of Ziziphus honey (ZH) derived from the Hail region of Saudi Arabia. The phytochemical profiling using high resolution-liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (HR-LCMS) revealed 10 compounds belonging to several familial classes and one tripeptide. Potential antioxidant activity was noted as assessed by DPPH (IC50 0.670 mg/mL), ABTS (IC50 3.554 mg/mL), and β-carotene (IC50 > 5 mg/mL). The ZH exerted a notable cytotoxic effect in a dose-dependent manner against three cancer cell lines: lung (A549), breast (MCF-7), and colon (HCT-116), with respective IC50 values of 5.203%, 6.02%, and 7.257%. The drug-likeness investigation unveiled that most of the identified compounds meet Lipinski’s rule. The molecular docking analysis revealed interesting antioxidant and anticancer activities for most targeted proteins and supported the in vitro findings. The Miraxanthin-III compound exhibited the most stabilized interaction. This study provides deeper insights on ZH as prominent source of bioactive compounds with potent antioxidant and anticancer effects.

Chemical Composition and the Anticancer, Antimicrobial, and Antioxidant Properties of Acacia Honey from the Hail Region: The in vitro and in silico Investigation

In consideration of the emergence of novel drug-resistant microbial strains and the increase in the incidences of various cancers throughout the world, honey could be utilized as a great alternative source of potent bioactive compounds. In this context, this study pioneers in reporting the phytochemical profiling and the antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer properties of Acacia honey (AH) from the Hail region of Saudi Arabia, assessed using in vitro and molecular docking approaches. The phytochemical profiling based on high-resolution liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HR-LCMS) revealed eight compounds and three small peptide-like proteins as the constituents. The honey samples exhibited promising antioxidant activities (DPPH-IC₅₀ = 0.670 mg/mL; ABTS-IC₅₀ = 1.056 mg/mL; β-carotene-IC₅₀ > 5 mg/mL). In the well-diffusion assay, a high mean growth inhibition zone (mGIZ) was observed against Staphylococcus aureus (48.33 ± 1.53 mm), Escherichia coli ATCC 10536 (38.33 ± 1.53 mm), and Staphylococcus epidermidis ATCC 12228 (39.33 ± 1.15 mm). The microdilution assay revealed that low concentrations of AH could inhibit the growth of almost all the evaluated bacterial and fungal strains, with the minimal bactericidal concentration values (MBCs) ranging from 75 mg/mL to 300 mg/mL. On the contrary, high AH concentrations were required to kill the tested microorganisms, with the minimal bactericidal concentration values (MBCs) ranging from approximately 300 mg/mL to over 600 mg/mL and the minimal fungicidal concentration values (MFCs) of approximately 600 mg/mL. The AH exhibited effective anticancer activity in a dose-dependent manner against breast (MCF-7), colon (HCT-116), and lung (A549) cancer cell lines, with the corresponding IC₅₀ values of 5.053 μg/mL, 5.382 μg/mL, and 6.728 μg/mL, respectively. The in silico investigation revealed that the observed antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer activities of the constituent compounds of AH are thermodynamically feasible, particularly those of the tripeptides (Asp-Trp-His and Trp-Arg-Ala) and aminocyclitol glycoside. The overall results highlighted the potential of AH as a source of bioactive compounds with significant antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer activities, which could imply further pharmacological applications of AH.