Introduction: Despite the fact that surgery, with or without adjuvant radiation and chemotherapy can be an effective therapeutic approach for malignancies, drug resistance and side effects are the major treatment hurdles. The platinum-based chemotherapy drug, cisplatin, has been a cornerstone in the treatment of cancer since it boosts the survival rate. So, the use of natural products has become one of the most promising therapeutic modalities to lessen the toxicity that cisplatin causes. Fagonia arabica plant is a new herbal product that assumes an outstanding performance as an analgesic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-carcinogenic. Herein, this study assessed the anti-carcinogenic effect of Fagonia arabica on oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC), which accounts for 90% of all oral cancers.
Objectives: The study aimed to investigate the anti-carcinogenic effect of Fagonia arabica shoot ethanolic extract (FASEE) on squamous cell carcinoma-4 (SCC-4) cell line. Then, to compare its anti-carcinogenic effect with that of the conventional chemotherapeutic drug; cisplatin.
Materials and methods: SCC-4 cell line was divided into three groups. The first group was treated with FASEE, the second group with cisplatin (the positive control); while the third group received no treatment (negative control). Comparison between the groups was done in terms of cytotoxicity, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis.
Results: Treatment of the SCC-4 cell line with Fagonia arabica extract resulted in inhibiting cell growth through induction of apoptosis. Furthermore, the cell cycle was arrested at the G0/G1 phase.
Conclusions: Fagonia arabica extract has a significant anti-carcinogenic effect on OSCC.