INVESTIGATION OF RELATIVE ANTI-CANCER EFFECTS OF HOMEOPATHIC FORMULATIONS ON PANCREATIC CANCER CELL LINES

Abstract

Background: Homeopathic formulations have been widely used for the treatment of infectious diseases and have shown effects comparable to that of a placebo in various in-vitro experiments. Following, research has gained momentum in understanding the cytotoxic effects of ethanolic extract (mother tincture) in various cancer cell lines. Very recently, studies have identified the cytotoxic effects of 30C potency of a few homeopathic formulations. However, very little has been explored in understanding the cytotoxic effects of 200C potency. Therefore, the current study has identified the relative cytotoxic effects of Bismuth, Cholesterinum, Condurango, Hydrastis, and Iodium at both potencies (30C and 200C). Objectives: The present study aims to investigate the relative cytotoxic effects of 30C and 200C homeopathic formulations on pancreatic cancer cell lines. Materials and Methods: PANC-1 and MiaPaCa-2 pancreatic cancer cell lines were treated with 1:5; 1:25 and 1:125 dilutions of Bismuth, Cholesterinum, Condurango, Hydrastis, and Iodium for 24 and 48-hour treatment. MTT assay-based cytotoxicity studies were performed to determine their effect on the reduction of percentage cell viability. For determining the effect of homeopathic formulation on MMP9 and VEGF expression, Real-time quantitative PCR studies were performed. Results: Greater reduction in percentage cell viability was observed at 200C comparable to 30C using homeopathic formulations Bismuth and Condurango on both the pancreatic cancer cell lines, with greater reduction observed at 48 hours. A significant difference between both potencies (30C and 200C) was observed using Mann-Whitney’s t-test. Conclusion: Findings from the research work help to determine the cytotoxic effects of the selected homeopathic formulations on pancreatic cancer cell lines, formulations showing a greater reduction in percentage cell viability can be used further for anti-cancer studies in the given cell line. The formulations showing significant reduction in 200C potency can be useful for pancreatic cancer treatment.