Department of Biotechnology and Biosciences, University of Milano-Bicocca, P.zza della Scienza, 2, 20126 Milan, Italy.
Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Nov 9;24(22):16117. doi: 10.3390/ijms242216117.
Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second-leading cause of cancer death, with a worldwide incidence rate constantly increasing; thus, new strategies for its prevention or treatment are needed. Here, we describe the adjuvant effect of the polyphenol-enriched fractions of cinnamon, from cinnamon bark and buds, when co-administered with a potent anticancer drug, cetuximab, used for CRC therapy. The co-administration significantly reduces the cetuximab dose required for the antiproliferative activity against colorectal cancer cell line E705, which is sensitive to EGFR-targeted therapy. The anticancer activity of these cinnamon-derived fractions, whose major components (as assessed by UPLC-HRMS analysis) are procyanidins and other flavonoids, strictly correlates with their ability to induce apoptosis in cancer cell lines through ERK activation and the mitochondrial membrane potential impairment. Due to the severe side effects of cetuximab administration, our results suggest the use of nutraceuticals based on the polyphenolic fractions of cinnamon extracts as adjuvants in the therapy of CRC.
结直肠癌（CRC）是癌症死亡的第二大主要原因，其全球发病率持续上升；因此，需要新的预防或治疗策略。在这里，我们描述了从肉桂树皮和芽中提取的富含多酚的肉桂的辅助作用，当与用于 CRC 治疗的强效抗癌药物西妥昔单抗联合使用时。联合给药显著降低了西妥昔单抗对 EGFR 靶向治疗敏感的结直肠癌细胞系 E705 的增殖活性所需的剂量。这些肉桂衍生的部分的抗癌活性，其主要成分（通过 UPLC-HRMS 分析评估）是原花青素和其他类黄酮，严格与其通过 ERK 激活和线粒体膜电位损伤诱导癌细胞系凋亡的能力相关。由于西妥昔单抗给药的严重副作用，我们的结果表明使用基于肉桂提取物的多酚部分的营养保健品作为 CRC 治疗的佐剂。
