Investigating the therapeutic effects of locally grown herbs on colon cancer cells

An increase in colorectal cancer (CRC) mortality has been reported in Europe and Asia. Standard treatment options such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy are limited due to intrinsic or acquired resistance and side effects as they affect normal healthy cells as well. Hence, more people are open to other treatment options such as complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) which involves the use of plant extracts. Natural products have shown to possess anti-cancer properties effective in inhibiting cancer progression. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the anti-cancer effect of an investigative compound, NYH003 derived from a local herb on HCT-116 colon cancer cells. Cells subjected to NYH003 treatment, were immunostained to visualize α-Tubulin, F-actin and DNA. NYH003 disrupted bipolar spindle assembly and induced mitotic arrest. NYH003 treatment induced a dose dependent increase in cells with monopolar spindles and chromosomal misalignment. Hence, our results suggest that NYH003 has chemotherapeutic use and stands to be a potential anti-cancer herb. However, further studies on other cancer cells should be performed to understand if effects of NYH003 are consistent.Bachelor of Science in Biological Science