Introduction Head and neck cancers are heterogeneous malignancies associated with significant morbidity. Oral cancers are related to the use of tobacco products. Smokeless tobacco usage is a health problem worldwide, and its carcinogenic mechanism is largely unknown. Despite advances in conventional treatments, side effects and drug resistance remain unsolved. Therefore, novel therapeutic agents with minimal side effects using plant derivatives should be explored. An active antihyperglycemic and antioxidant compound known as FIIc was isolated from the fruit pulp of Eugenia jambolana (US Patent No.: 2,30,753). Although E. jambolana is reported to have anticancer activity, no study has been reported on its growth kinetics and apoptotic potential in the human head and neck cancer cell line (SCC4). The present study evaluated the effect of an herbal compound isolated from the fruit pulp of E. jambolana and chemically synthesized the same compound, α-hydroxy succinamic acid (α-HSA), on SCC4 proliferation and apoptotic gene expression. Methods The SCC4 cell line was cultured in Dulbecco's Modified Eagle Medium (DMEM). The dosages of smokeless tobacco extract (STE), herbal compound, and synthetic compound were determined by cell viability assay, and their effect on mRNA expression of apoptotic genes was measured by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results The present study observed significant therapeutic effects of the natural and synthetic compounds from the fruit pulp of E. jambolana at the concentration range of 100-200 μg/mL on the SCC4 cell line. α-HSA had antiproliferative action; upregulated apoptotic genes like p53, p21, and Bax; and downregulated anti-apoptotic genes like survivin in the SCC4 cell line. Conclusion The therapeutic potential of α-HSA and the putative mechanisms involved may be explored to provide the basis for future therapeutic interventions in oral cancer mediated by smokeless tobacco.
Keywords: alpha hydroxy succinamic acid (α-hsa); apoptosis; eugenia jambolana; head and neck cancer; smokeless tobacco.
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