Enhancement of chemopreventive properties of young green barley and chlorella extracts used together against colon cancer cells.

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Young green barley and chlorella are listed as a panacea for a whole range of disorders, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, infections, and hypercholesterolaemia. The first reports have appeared presenting the anticancer properties of these products. The present study is an attempt to extend this knowledge with particular emphasis on the possibility of using young green barley, chlorella, and their combination in colon cancer chemoprevention.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: Extracts of young green barley (YB) and chlorella (CH), as well as their combination MIX (YB+CH; 1:1), were examined. The influence of the extracts on viability and proliferation of human colon epithelial CCD841 CoN cells was analyzed by LDH and MTT assays. Anticancer properties of extracts were screened on human colon adenocarcinoma cell line HT-29 by MTT and BrdU assays. Changes in cells morphology in response to extracts were investigated after May-Grünwald-Giemsa staining.

RESULTS: Extracts used together or separately did not affect the viability and proliferation of CCD841 CoN cells. Simultaneously, YB, CH and MIX inhibited proliferation of HT-29 cells in a dose-dependent manner. Furthermore changes in the morphology of HT-29 cells treated with YB, CH and MIX suggested necrosis induction. Performed studies also revealed that MIX induced a stronger antiproliferative effect than their individual ingredients; however, the discovered enhancement of anticancer properties was weaker than the sum of the effects of YB and CH creating MIX.

CONCLUSIONS: The study demonstrates great chemopreventive properties of young green barley and chlorella water extracts and their combination in in vitro model of colon cancer. The anticancer properties of the investigated extracts were significantly enhanced after combining, without an increase of their toxicity against normal cells.