The working mechanism of standardized pomegranate (punica granatum linn) fruit extract towards mucus cell degradation of mice oral cavity which experience transformation through vegf expression

Abstract

Cell transformations are cells that undergo behavioral changes as a result of transcription of an oncogene. Squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity is a continuation of cell transformation in the oral cavity squamous cell. The progresses in the fields of surgery, radiation and chemotherapy have not yet provide maximum results. Long-living patients with oral cavity squamous cell carcinoma are less than 50 %. One cause of cancer development is caused by new blood vessels formation or angiogenesis. Whole pomegranate fruit extract (PGL) is an alternative treatment to inhibit angiogenesis formation in cancer. PGL is one of the medicinal plants that contain in vitro anticancer activity. This fact has prompted researchers to study standardized whole pomegranate fruit extract (PGL) with the aim to eliminate the cells undergoing transformation into carcinoma cells through decreased VEGF expression. PGL is compared with ellagic acid (EA, single compound of PGL), and extracts of mahkota dewa (an anti-cancer herb that has been published). The research method used was laboratorial experiment; 30 male mice, aged 5 months which were randomly divided into 5 groups: 2 control groups (K0, normal mice) and (K1, exposed to benzopirene), and 3 treatment groups (P1, ellagic acid), (P2, PGL) and (P3, mahkota dewa). Benzopirene exposure with a dose of 0.04 mg benzopirene /0.04 ml olium olivarum is for 4 weeks with 3 times a week. Provision of ellagic acid, PGL, and mahkota dewa are with a dose of 75 mg/Kg/weight of mice every day for 4 weeks. The examination applied the immunohistochemistry technique. The results based on the immunohistochemistry technique showed that administration of standardized whole pomegranate fruit extract (PGL) to decrease the VEGF expression is most potent than the ellagic acid and mahkota dewa. The research conclusion is that whole pomegranate fruit extract (PGL) inhibit cells that undergo transformation towards carcinoma through decreasing VEGF expression which result in the inhabitation of angiogenesis formation, then cancer cells do not grow and finally die.