In vitro and in vivo antitumor activity of Yerba Mate extract in colon cancer models

ROCÍO GARCÍA LÁZARO; HUMBERTO LAMDAN; LORENA CALIGIURI; NORAILYS LORENZO; ANDREA L. BERENGENO; HUGO H. ORTEGA; DANIEL F. ALONSO; HERNÁN FARINA

JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE

WILEY-BLACKWELL PUBLISHING, INC

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2020 vol. 85 p. 2186 - 2197

0022-1147

Yerba Mate (Ilex paraguariensis St. Hill. Aquifoliaceae) is a native South American tree and has a large amountof bioactive compounds. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the so-called westernized diseases and is the third mostcommon cancer in both men and women. Efficient strategies for the treatment of CRC are extensively being exploredincluding dietary intervention. The objective of our research was to evaluate the effects of Yerba Mate extract on cellproliferation, invasive capacity of tumor cells, and angiogenesis. For this, in vitro and in vivo experimentation was carriedout using CRC models. The extract was generated by aqueous extraction and prepared according to traditional Americanprocedure of preparing mate infusion. In vitro results showed that the Yerba Mate extract inhibits CT26 and COLO 205cell proliferation with IC50 values of 0.25 and 0.46 mg/mL, respectively. We demonstrated by TUNEL assay that oneof the mechanisms by which Yerba Mate extract decreases cell proliferation is by induction of apoptosis. In a murinesyngeneic tumor model, oral administration of Yerba Mate extract in a dose of 1.6 g/kg/day significantly inhibitedangiogenesis and tumor growth without affecting biological parameters or body weight. Our findings suggest that YerbaMate may be a promising agent for the treatment of colon cancer and could be used as an herbal medicine or functionalfood ingredient.