The garlic extract ajoene is considered to have antimicrobial and antitumor effects
against a variety of cell types, and it is suggested to have the potential to be used as an
antifungal or antitumor drug clinically. The underlying mechanism of its inhibitory
effects is still uncertain. In this project, the effects of ajoene on the growth of fungal
and oomycete cells were studied on Candida albicans, Neurospora crassa and Achlya
bisexualis. Endometrial cancer is the most common gynecologic cancer. A 3D
spheroid model of endometrial cancer cells were for the first time used to investigate
the antitumor effects of ajoene and selected antitumor agents. Ajoene was extracted
from fresh garlic by chromatographic methods and the outcome of the extractions was
verified with Mass spectrometry and NMR spectroscopy. Ajoene was then tested on
the yeast form or germ tubes of C. albicans, and the cell division and germ tube
formation was analyzed. N. crassa and A. bisexualis were treated with ajoene on
plates or on glass slides to measure the hyphae radial extension or individual hyphal
extension. 3D endometrial adenocarcinoma cell (Ishikawa) spheroids were treated
with ajoene, paclitaxel, targeted drugs everolimus, sorafenib, gefitinib and canertinib
alone or in combinations. The growth activity, metabolic activity, cell proliferation,
apoptotic activity and the cytoskeletons were analyzed after the treatments.
Cell division of C.albicans was inhibited by ajoene at 5µg/ml or higher concentrations. The length of C.albicans germ tubes was significantly shorter in ajoene treated groups than the untreated ones. Radial extension and individual hyphal extension of N. crassa and A. bisexualis were both inhibited by ajoene. Ajoene did not show any antitumor effects on the 3D cell model of Ishikawa cells. No synergistic effect was detected between ajoene and paclitaxel or ajoene and everolimus. The targeted drugs Canertinib and everolimus showed an inhibitory effect on growth activity of the spheroids, but no synergy with paclitaxel. In conclusion, ajoene was able to inhibit various forms of fungal and oomycete growth, but any antitumor activity of ajoene did not show on 3D culture of endometrial cancer cells.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:canterbury.ac.nz/oai:ir.canterbury.ac.nz:10092/8201 |
| Date | January 2013 |
| Creators | Yang, Mandy |
| Publisher | University of Canterbury. Biological sciences |
| Source Sets | University of Canterbury |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Electronic thesis or dissertation, Text |
| Rights | Copyright Mandy Yang, http://library.canterbury.ac.nz/thesis/etheses_copyright.shtml |
| Relation | NZCU |
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