Tehran University of Medical Sciences

Science Communicator Platform

Stay connected! Follow us on X network (Twitter):
Share this content! On (X network) By
Non-Addictive Opium Alkaloids Selectively Induce Apoptosis in Cancer Cells Compared to Normal Cells Publisher Pubmed



Afzali M1 ; Ghaeli P2 ; Khanavi M3 ; Parsa M1 ; Montazeri H1 ; Ghahremani MH1 ; Ostad SN1
Authors
Show Affiliations
Authors Affiliations
  1. 1. Department Toxicology and Pharmacology, Faculty of Pharmacy, Toxicology and Poisoning Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, 14155/6451, Iran
  2. 2. Department Clinical Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy and Rational Drug Use Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, 14155/6451, Iran
  3. 3. Department Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, 14155/6451, Iran

Source: DARU# Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences Published:2015


Abstract

Background: Cytotoxic effects of some of the members of papaveraceae family have been reported in Iranian folk medicine. Recent reports has indicated that alkaloids fraction of opium may be responsible for its cytotoxic effect; however, the mechanism of this effect is not fully understood. This study has been designed to investigate the selective cytotoxic, genotoxic and also apoptosis induction effects of noscapine, papaverine and narceine, three non-addictable opium alkaloids, on HT29, T47D and HT1080 cancer cell lines. Mouse NIH3T3 cell line was chosen to present non-cancerous cells and Doxorubicin was selected as the positive control. Methods: Cells were treated by different concentrations of Noscapine, Papaverine, Narceine and doxorubicin; viability was assessed by MTT assay. The genotoxicity and apoptosis induction were tested with comet assay and Annexin-V affinity when the concentration of each these drugs is less than its IC50. In addition, the DNA damage and caspase activity of the T47D cells were examined and the results were compared. Results: This study noted the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of noscapine and papaverine, specifically on cancerous cell lines. Furthermore, papaverine induces apoptosis in all studied cancer cell lines and noscapine showed this effect in T47D and HT29 cells but not in NIH-3 T3 cells as noncancerous cell line. narceine also showed genototoxicity in the studied cell lines at its IC50 concentration. Conclusions: This experiment suggests that noscapine and papaverine may be of use in cancer treatment due to their specific cytotoxicity and genotoxicity. However, further in vivo studies are needed to confirm its usefulness in cancer treatment. © 2015 Afzali et al.; licensee BioMed Central.
Related Docs
1. Cell Cycle Arrest and Apoptogenic Properties of Opium Alkaloids Noscapine and Papaverine on Breast Cancer Stem Cells, Toxicology Mechanisms and Methods (2015)
2. A Combinational Approach Towards Treatment of Breast Cancer: An Analysis of Noscapine-Loaded Polymeric Nanoparticles and Doxorubicin, AAPS PharmSciTech (2020)
3. Apoptosis Induction of Human Endometriotic Epithelial and Stromal Cells by Noscapine, Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences (2016)
4. The Other Side of the Coin: Positive View on the Role of Opioids in Cancer, European Journal of Pharmacology (2022)
5. Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of Alkaloids From Papaver Spp.: A Structure–Activity Based Study, Phytochemistry Reviews (2025)
6. Phytochemistry and Pharmacology of Alkaloids From Papaver Spp.: A Structure–Activity Based Study, Phytochemistry Reviews (2024)
7. Opium Consumption and the Incidence of Cancer: Does Opium Account As an Emerging Risk Factor for Gastrointestinal Cancer?, Journal of Gastrointestinal Cancer (2018)
8. Genotoxicity of Noscapine Nanosuspension Prepared by Microfluidic Reactors on Hepg2 Cell Line, Iranian Journal of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering (2020)
Experts (# of related papers)
View all Related Experts
Saeid Amanpour (2)
Alimohammad Alizadeh (1)