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Anticancer Activity of Earthworm Powder (Lumbricus terrestris) Against MCF-7 and PC-3 Cancer Cell Lines

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Abstract

Background and Aim

The importance of earthworm in treatment of various diseases has been proven in ancient literatures. Nowadays, with advances in biotechnology, earthworm is considered a rich natural source of many biomolecules that possesses antioxidant and antitumor activities. The present study aimed to evaluate the antitumor activity of earthworm powder (Lumbricus terrestris) against two cell lines, breast cancer cells (MCF-7) and prostate cancer cells (PC-3).

Methods

Fully matured earthworms (L. terrestris) were collected from soil in Baghdad, Iraq. To assess the cytotoxicity of earthworm powder, the MTT assay was conducted on cancerous (MCF-7 and PC-3 cells) and normal cell line (WRL68 cells) lines.

Results

It was revealed that earthworm powder exerts cytotoxic effects against two cancer cell lines. The viability of MCF-7 and PC-3 cells decreased with increasing the concentration. The IC50 values for PC-3 and MCF-7 cell lines were 265.5 and 965.9 μg/ml, respectively, while the earthworm powder exhibited no cytotoxicity against the WRL68 cells. According to the analysis of the results of the multiple cytotoxicity assay (HCS), the treatment of PC-3 cells with 100, 200, and 400 μg/ml of earthworm powder for 24 h at 37 °C led to cell death by changing the permeability of mitochondrial membrane resulting in cytochrome C release and inducing apoptosis.

Conclusion

The results of the present study contribute additional evidence for the antitumor activity of earthworm extracts. Therefore, further research should concentrate on isolating and identifying the earthworm’s active biomolecules that have antitumor activity by investigating the molecular mechanism, genetics, and pathways responsible for the antitumor activity of these biomolecules.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by Department of Biology, College of Science, Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad, Iraq.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biology, College of Science, Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad, Iraq

    Farha A.Ali Shafi & Nebrass Faleh

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  1. Farha A.Ali Shafi
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  2. Nebrass Faleh
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Correspondence to Farha A.Ali Shafi.

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This study was ethically approved by the College of Science, Mustansiriyah University, Baghdad, Iraq.

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The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

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Shafi, F.A., Faleh, N. Anticancer Activity of Earthworm Powder (Lumbricus terrestris) Against MCF-7 and PC-3 Cancer Cell Lines. J Gastrointest Canc 50, 919–925 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12029-019-00268-z

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12029-019-00268-z

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