PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - KHALDA FADLALLA
AU  - ANGELA WATSON
AU  - TESHOME YEHUALAESHET
AU  - TIMOTHY TURNER
AU  - TEMESGEN SAMUEL
TI  - <em>Ruta graveolens</em> Extract Induces DNA Damage Pathways and Blocks Akt Activation to Inhibit Cancer Cell Proliferation and Survival
DP  - 2011 Jan 01
TA  - Anticancer Research
PG  - 233--241
VI  - 31
IP  - 1
4099  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/31/1/233.short
4100  - http://ar.iiarjournals.org/content/31/1/233.full
SO  - Anticancer Res2011 Jan 01; 31
AB  - Background: Ruta graveolens is a medicinal herb that has been used for centuries against various ailments. This study examined the anticancer properties of the herb using cancer cell lines. Materials and Methods: Methanolic extract of R. graveolens was tested on colon, breast and prostate cancer cells. Viability, cell cycle profiles, clonogenicity and capase activation were measured. Induction and subcellular localizations of p53, 53BP1 and γ-H2AX proteins were examined. Results: The extract dose-dependently decreased the viability and the clonogenicity of treated cells and induced G2/M arrest, aberrant mitoses, and caspase-3 activation. It also induced the p53 pathway and focal concentration of the DNA damage response proteins 53BP1 and γ-H2AX. Moreover, the levels of phospho-Akt and cyclin B1 were reduced by treatment, whereas only cyclin B1 was reduced in normal dermal fibroblasts. Conclusion: R. graveolens extract contains bioactive compounds which, independently of known photoactivatable mechanisms, potently inhibit cancer cell proliferation and survival through multiple targets.