Anti-Tumor Effect of Marshallagia marshalli Somatic Antigen on Inhibition Cell Growth of K562

Parasites revive hope for cancer therapy

Parasites have attained a life-long stigma of being detrimental organisms with deleterious outcomes. Yet, recently, a creditable twist was verified that can dramatically change our perception of those parasites from being a source of misery to millions of people to a useful anti-cancerous tool. Various parasites have shown promise to combat cancer in different experimental models, including colorectal, lung, and breast cancers, among others. Helminths and protozoan parasites, as well as their derivatives such as Echinococcus granulosus protein KI-1, Toxoplasma gondii GRA15II, and Trypanosoma cruzi calreticulin, have demonstrated the ability to inhibit tumor growth, angiogenesis, and metastasis. This article provides an overview of the literature on various cancer types that have shown promising responses to parasite therapy in both in vitro and in vivo animal studies. Parasites have shown anti-neoplastic activity through a variety of mechanisms that collectively contribute to their anti-cancer properties. These include immunomodulation, inhibition of angiogenesis, and molecular mimicry with cancer cells. This review article sheds light on this intriguing emerging field and emphasizes the value of collaborative multidisciplinary research projects with funding agencies and pharmaceutical companies. Thus, these strategies would secure continuous exploration of this new avenue and accelerate the advancement of cancer therapy research. Although experimental studies are heavily conducted by leaps and bounds, further steps are definitely lagging. Upgrading research from the experimental level to the clinical trial would be a wise progression toward efficient exploitation of the anti-neoplastic capabilities of parasites, ultimately saving countless lives.

Anti-Tumor Effect of Protoscolex Hydatid Cyst Somatic Antigen on Inhibition Cell Growth of K562

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE

Today, cancer is one of the most important causes of death in the world, and so far, many treatment methods have been used in this field. Immunotherapy is considered one of the newest developments in this science, and it is still being investigated in some forms in different cancers and with a variety of antigens as well. One of the subsets of cancer immunotherapy is its treatment using parasitic antigens. The present study evaluated the effect of using somatic antigens of protoscoleces of Echinococcus granulosus on K562 cancer cells.

METHODS

In this study, hydatid cysts' protoscolex antigens were extracted, purified, and added to K562 cancer cells at three concentrations (0.1, 1, and 2 mg/ml) and on three times (24, 48, and 72 h). The number of apoptotic cells was compared to the control flask. The antigen concentration of 2 mg/ml was used as a control sample to investigate its cytotoxic effect on the growth of healthy HFF3 cells. Annexin V and PI tests were also performed to differentiate apoptosis from necrosis.

RESULTS

In flasks treated with hydatid cyst protoscolex antigen, all three concentrations significantly reduced the growth of cancer cells compared with the control flask, and concentration 2 of crude antigen significantly caused the death of cancer cells. Furthermore, more cancer cells underwent apoptosis by increasing the time of exposure to the antigen. On the other hand, flow cytometry results also showed that the amount of apoptosis has increased compared to the control group. In fact, Protoscolex hydatid cyst somatic antigens induce programmed cell death in K562 cancer cells while not having a cytotoxic effect on normal cells.

CONCLUSION

Therefore, it is suggested to do more research on the anti-cancer and therapeutic properties of the antigens of this parasite.