BioNano Laboratory, School of Engineering, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada.
School of Engineering, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada.
Food Res Int. 2017 Jun;96:12-18. doi: 10.1016/j.foodres.2017.03.017. Epub 2017 Mar 11.
Cancer is the leading cause of mortality in Canada and other industrialized nations; the development of new/improved cancer therapies is desperately needed and continues to be a major focus of cancer research. Flavonoids, which are found in high levels in onions, have been shown to exert antiproliferative and potentially anti-cancer activities. To test their therapeutic potential, we assessed the antiproliferative, cytotoxic, apoptosis-inducing, and anti-migratory activities of five onion varieties grown in Ontario against human adenocarcinoma (Caco-2) cells. The properties of onion extracts were compared to pure extracts of flavonoids known to exhibit antiproliferative effects (quercetin, myricetin, and kaempferol). We compared more than one variety of onion, as agronomic and genetic factors influence the composition, as well as the quality of phytochemicals (e.g. flavonoids) in plant cultivars. We found that all onion varieties exhibited antiproliferative activity similar to purified flavonoids. The cytotoxic effects of the Stanley and Fortress onion varieties were strongest among the selected cultivars, as determined via lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays, while Safrane extracts showed the weakest activity. The Stanley and Lasalle cultivar extracts also had strong anti-migratory effects. Altogether these onion extracts may contain one or more compounds that may be effective anti-cancer therapies, while the Stanley extract showed the most comprehensive biological activities against Caco-2 cells.
癌症是加拿大和其他工业化国家的主要死亡原因；新的/改进的癌症疗法的开发是迫切需要的，并且仍然是癌症研究的主要重点。类黄酮在洋葱中含量很高，已被证明具有抗增殖和潜在的抗癌活性。为了测试它们的治疗潜力，我们评估了安大略省种植的五种洋葱品种对人结肠腺癌细胞（Caco-2）的抗增殖、细胞毒性、诱导细胞凋亡和抗迁移活性。将洋葱提取物的性质与已知具有抗增殖作用的纯类黄酮提取物（槲皮素、杨梅素和山奈酚）进行了比较。我们比较了多种洋葱，因为农业和遗传因素会影响植物品种的组成以及植物化学物质（如类黄酮）的质量。我们发现所有洋葱品种都表现出与纯化类黄酮相似的抗增殖活性。通过乳酸脱氢酶（LDH）测定， Stanley 和 Fortress 洋葱品种的细胞毒性作用在所选品种中最强，而 Safrane 提取物的活性最弱。 Stanley 和 Lasalle 品种的提取物也具有很强的抗迁移作用。总的来说，这些洋葱提取物可能含有一种或多种可能有效的抗癌疗法，而 Stanley 提取物对 Caco-2 细胞表现出最全面的生物学活性。
