Abstract
Review: Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), one of the most common neoplasms in the head and neck, is a major public health challenge. Cinnamon oils have proved to have powerful anticancer properties. Scorpion Venoms are rich in active sources which are used for treatment of multiple diseases including cancer.There is no evidence about the effect and the type of pharmacological interaction in combined treatment of this cinnamon oil with scorpion venom against cancer cells.
Aim of study: The current study aimed to unveil the cytotoxic effect and apoptotic potential of cinnamon oil, scorpion venom and their combination on OSCC cell line.
Material and Methods: OSCC cell line was used in this study. The study design was divided into four groups. Group I (control), group II (cinnamon oil treated), group III (scorpion venom treated) and group IV (cinnamon oil + scorpion venom treated). Cytotoxcity was examined using MTT assay while apoptosis was detected by calculating nuclear area factor (NAF) and BAX gene expression of different groups.
Results: The combination group showed the lowest IC50 of all groups. It also revealed the lowest mean NAF and the highest mean fold change in BAX gene expression
Conclusion: Combination of Cinnamon oil and Scorpion venom could be a promising anticancer cure for OSCC as this combination showed an effective cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic effects on OSCC cell line.