Apoptosis Induction in MDA-MB-435S, Hep3B and PC-3 Cell Lines by Rheum emodi Rhizome Extracts

The study was aimed at evaluating apoptosis induction potentials of methanolic and aqueous extracts ofRheum emodi Wall. ex Meissn. rhizome. The ability of the extracts to induce apoptosis in MDA-MB-435S (humanbreast carcinoma), Hep3B (human hepatocellular carcinoma) and PC-3 (human prostate cancer) cell lines weretested by ELISA to detect cellular DNA fragmentation. Results obtained from the present study confirm thatthe extracts target the cancerous cells towards apoptosis. The study concludes that R. emodi possess anticancermetabolites that can be isolated and used as precursors in development of anticancer drugs. Suppression ofapoptosis might contribute to tumor development by means of accumulation of continuously proliferatingcells. The strategy employed in this study, to induce apoptosis in the tumor cells, could be a potential target oftherapeutic intervention of cancers.