PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - VIDHYA NAIR
AU  - ZHAOLI DAI
AU  - MARUF KHAN
AU  - HENRY P. CIOLINO
TI  - Pomegranate Extract Induces Cell Cycle Arrest and Alters Cellular Phenotype of Human Pancreatic Cancer Cells
DP  - 2011 Sep 01
TA  - Anticancer Research
PG  - 2699--2704
VI  - 31
IP  - 9
4099  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/31/9/2699.short
4100  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/31/9/2699.full
SO  - Anticancer Res2011 Sep 01; 31
AB  - Background: Pomegranate extract (PE) is a standardized whole-fruit extract of pomegranate, a fruit with known anticancer properties. Materials and Methods: PANC-1 and AsPC-1 human pancreatic cancer cells were used as in vitro models to test the effects of PE. Results: PE treatment induced cell cycle arrest and inhibited cell proliferation in PANC-1 cells. PE treatment increased the proportion of cells lacking CD44 and CD24 expression, which are associated with increased tumor-initiating ability, demonstrating that PE altered cell phenotype. PE was more effective in inhibiting the proliferation of PANC-1 cells than the clinically used dose of paclitaxel. Similar results were obtained in the AsPC-1 cell line. Individual pomegranate phytochemicals were only modestly effective in inhibiting cell proliferation, suggesting that unidentified phytochemicals are responsible for the inhibitory effect of PE. Conclusion: These data suggest that PE is a promising candidate for further preclinical testing for treatment of human pancreatic cancer.