TITLE:
Cytotoxicity, Toxicity and Anticancer Activity of Manuka Honey, Saudi’s Honey and Peganum harmala Plant against Cancer Cells
AUTHORS:
Naif M. Alhawiti, Elber-Lewis Myles, Anaif M. Alhewaitey, Yousef M. Almutairi, Fadhah M. Alhawiti
KEYWORDS:
Peganum harmala, Manuka Honey, Saudi Honey, Anticancer, Apoptosis, Natural Products
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biosciences and Medicines,
Vol.12 No.2,
February
26,
2024
ABSTRACT: Cancer occurs when the body’s cells grow beyond the usual control. Normal body cells multiply in a controlled manner and undergo apoptosis when the body no longer needs them. Different types of cancers exist, and the common ones include breast, cervical, prostate, lung, colon, and skin cancers. Several factors have been associated with cancers, and these factors include poor dieting, exposure to harmful chemicals and radiation, weak immune system, and genetics. Cancer presents an enormous health threat in the modern world and thus the need to identify an effective treatment. The conventional treatments used in the management of cancer include chemotherapy and physiotherapy. These forms of cancer treatments usually have enormous side effects on the subjects. In this respect, an alternative form of treatment would be effective in managing cancer patients. A substantial number of natural products have been observed to be effective in the management of cancer. These natural products include plants and other natural substances such as honey. This study focuses on the efficiency of natural products in the treatment of cancer. Also, the anticancer effects of Peganum harmala, Manuka honey, and Saudi honey will be analyzed. Bee honey and Peganum harmala have been traditionally used in the treatment of cancer. The extracts from Peganum harmala plant have also been shown to exhibit divers’ antitumor effects similar to the mode of action of a vast number of anticancer agents. These established hypotheses thus give the rationale for this study. In this experiment, extracts were obtained from Peganum harmala leaves and exposed to cervical, lung, and prostate cancer cells. Similarly, solutions of Manuka honey and Saudi honey were exposed to the cervical, lung, and prostate cancer cells. The experiment duration was 24 hours, which obtained results were recorded and analyzed. Peganum harmala extracts inhibit cancer cell growth at different and achievable concentrations. Manuka honey highly inhibits the growth of HeLa cancer cells while Saudi honey highly inhibits the growth of A549 cells. Peganum harmala can form an effective treatment for managing several types of cancers. Manuka Honey can be applied as an effective treatment for managing cervical cancer while Saudi honey can form an effective treatment for managing lung cancers.