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Mukhtar MH, El-Readi MZ, Elzubier ME, Fatani SH, Refaat B, Shaheen U, Adam Khidir EB, Taha HH, Eid SY. Cymbopogon citratus and Citral Overcome Doxorubicin Resistance in Cancer Cells via Modulating the Drug's Metabolism, Toxicity, and Multidrug Transporters. Molecules 2023; 28:molecules28083415. [PMID: 37110649 PMCID: PMC10143904 DOI: 10.3390/molecules28083415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/07/2023] [Revised: 04/08/2023] [Accepted: 04/08/2023] [Indexed: 04/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Multidrug resistance (MDR) is the major complex mechanism that causes the failure of chemotherapy, especially with drugs of natural origin such as doxorubicin (DOX). Intracellular drug accumulation and detoxification are also involved in cancer resistance by reducing the susceptibility of cancer cells to death. This research aims to identify the volatile composition of Cymbopogon citratus (lemon grass; LG) essential oil and compare the ability of LG and its major compound, citral, to modulate MDR in resistant cell lines. The composition of LG essential oil was identified using gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GC-MS). In addition, a comparison of the modulatory effects of LG and citral, performed on breast (MCF-7/ADR), hepatic (HepG-2/ADR), and ovarian (SKOV-3/ADR) MDR cell lines, were compared to their parent sensitive cells using the MTT assay, ABC transporter function assays, and RT-PCR. Oxygenated monoterpenes (53.69%), sesquiterpene hydrocarbons (19.19%), and oxygenated sesquiterpenes (13.79%) made up the yield of LG essential oil. α-citral (18.50%), β-citral (10.15%), geranyl acetate (9.65%), ylangene (5.70), δ-elemene (5.38%), and eugenol (4.77) represent the major constituents of LG oil. LG and citral (20 μg/mL) synergistically increased DOX cytotoxicity and lowered DOX dosage by >3-fold and >1.5-fold, respectively. These combinations showed synergism in the isobologram and CI < 1. DOX accumulation or reversal experiment confirmed that LG and citral modulated the efflux pump function. Both substances significantly increased DOX accumulation in resistant cells compared to untreated cells and verapamil (the positive control). RT-PCR confirmed that LG and citral targeted metabolic molecules in resistant cells and significantly downregulated PXR, CYP3A4, GST, MDR1, MRP1, and PCRP genes. Our results suggest a novel dietary and therapeutic strategy combining LG and citral with DOX to overcome multidrug resistance in cancer cells. However, these results should be confirmed by additional animal experiments before being used in human clinical trials.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mohammed Hasan Mukhtar
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Al-Abdeyah, Makkah 24381, Saudi Arabia
| | - Mahmoud Zaki El-Readi
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Al-Abdeyah, Makkah 24381, Saudi Arabia
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Assuit 71524, Egypt
| | - Mohamed E Elzubier
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Al-Abdeyah, Makkah 24381, Saudi Arabia
| | - Sameer H Fatani
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Al-Abdeyah, Makkah 24381, Saudi Arabia
| | - Bassem Refaat
- Laboratory Medicine Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Al-Abdeyah, Makkah 24381, Saudi Arabia
| | - Usama Shaheen
- Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Cairo 11829, Egypt
| | - Elshiekh Babiker Adam Khidir
- Laboratory Medicine Department, Faculty of Applied Medical Sciences, Umm Al-Qura University, Al-Abdeyah, Makkah 24381, Saudi Arabia
| | - Hesham Hamada Taha
- Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Department, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Azhar University, Assuit 71524, Egypt
| | - Safaa Yehia Eid
- Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Umm Al-Qura University, Al-Abdeyah, Makkah 24381, Saudi Arabia
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