1.Metformin HCl Oral Preparation Exhibits Anticancer Activity In-vitro in a Human Non-small Cell Lung Tumour Cell Line
Chowdhury Forhadul Karim ; Mohammod Jahidul Islam ; Shamima Abdul Rahman
Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences 2023;19(No.3):64-71
Introduction: The most common variety of lung cancer is non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounting for 84%
of new cases. Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation are the primary treatment option. Metformin has recently been
demonstrated to have an anti-tumour impact on various cancer cells. The goal of this investigation was to determine
the growth inhibitory, antiproliferative, cytotoxic, apoptotic and cell cycle arrest properties of metformin HCl oral
tablets on the A549 lung carcinoma cell line. Methods: The cells were treated with different dosages of an oral preparation of metformin, with untreated cells used as a control. The Trypan Blue Exclusion Assay was used to determine
metformin’s inhibitory and cytotoxic effects. Flow cytometry was used to evaluate apoptosis and cell cycle arrest.
Results: In a dose-dependent manner, metformin HCl was able to reduce the viability of treated cells compared to
the untreated control. Cell proliferation was considerably inhibited in the treated group with the IC50 dose than in the
untreated control group and the IC50 dose showed no cytotoxic effect on L929 cells. Induction of apoptosis and cell
cycle arrest was observed in the IC50 dose-treated group by Flow cytometry analysis and data showed metformin oral
drug causes early apoptosis and a considerable cell increase in the S phase of the cell cycle. Conclusion: Metformin
inhibits cell growth and induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in the cell line. A comprehensive proteome examination is required to understand more about the mechanism of action of the oral metformin HCl on cancer cells
2.Anti-Obesity Effect of Methanolic Extracts of Local Punica granatum in High-Fat Diet-Induced Obese Rats
Nuruljannah Alhany Abdul Halim ; CF Karim ; Imtiaz K. Mohammed ; Ismail Rozila ; Mahani Mahadi ; Zauyah Yusuf ; Shazreen Shaharuddin ; Shamima Abdul Rahman
Malaysian Journal of Medicine and Health Sciences 2023;19(No.2):228-235
Introduction: Obesity has been linked to coronary artery disease, type II diabetes, metabolic syndrome, stroke, and
cancer. Pomegranate (Punica granatum; PG) has been used extensively in folk medicine for several therapeutic purposes. The goal of this study is to investigate the anti-obesity effect of PG peel and pulp methanolic extracts in highfat diet (HFD)-induced Sprague-Dawley rats. Methods: The animals were separated into 7 groups namely Normal
control group (normal diet); HFD-induced only as negative control group, and positive control group (HFD-induced
+ orlistat); treatment group included HFD-induced + peel 125 mg/kg, HFD-induced +peel 250 mg/kg, HFD-induced
+ pulp 125 mg/kg and HFD-induced + pulp 250 mg/kg. Results: It was observed that methanolic extract of peel and
pulp PG 250 mg/kg showed low increment of body weight with a reduction in weight of liver, visceral fat, and subcutaneous fat. Compared to the negative control group, total cholesterol, triglyceride, and low-density lipoprotein
levels were shown to be lowered for PG peel and pulp groups also showed higher values in high-density lipoprotein.
Conclusion: PG reduced obesity-related markers in blood, liver, and adipose tissue and inhibited obesity caused by
a high-fat diet probably because of its antioxidant properties.