Abdulrahman Khazim Al-Asmari
Prince Sultan Military Medical City, KSA
Title: Scorpion venoms causing DNA damage by up-regulating p53 and down regulating BCLXL and BID protein expression in breast and colorectal cancer cell lines
Biography
Biography: Abdulrahman Khazim Al-Asmari
Abstract
Scorpion venoms efficiently block the neurotransmitter signaling pathway by prejudicing the ion channel operating mechanism in the body system. This massive effect of ion channel impairment by the venom is due to the presence of various macromolecules such as proteins and peptides in it. Beside its negative effect, venoms also possess some of the beneficial aspect for the human being. The venom has also been shown to exhibit anti-cancer properties in various cancer types. This unique property of the venom as anti-cancer agent is mainly due to its role in creating apoptosis and also inhibiting several signaling cascade mechanism which promotes cancer cell proliferation and growth. In this study we examine the effect of venom (obtained from our local serpentarium facility) on the phenotypic changes as well as change at the molecular levels in colorectal and breast cancer cell lines. A dramatic decrease in cell invasion was observed in both the cancer cell lines upon venom treatment. We observed 60-90% decrease in this parameter which is an important hallmark of cancer progression. Additionally, a decrease in IL-6 as well as in RhoC expression indicates anti-cancer properties of the venoms used in this study. Additionally, decrease in the phosphorylation of Erk1/2 and STAT3 gives strong messages of its anti-cancer properties. In addition to this, decrease in the expression of pro-apoptotic proteins such as Bcl2 (Bcl-XL) and BID and up-regulation of anti-apoptotic/tumor suppressor protein (p53) by the colorectal and breast cancer cell lines when treated with venoms indicates its role as a pro-apoptotic agent. In addition to this, a vivid picture of DNA damage in comet assay was also observed in venom treated cell lines. Our study is in agreement with the previous work showing the anti-cancer property of scorpion venom. In conclusion, the scorpion venom obtained at our research center at Prince Sultan Military Medical City (PSMMC) possesses significant potential to act as an anti-cancer agent against colorectal and breast cancer cell lines.