Michelle Tucci
University of Mississippi Medical Center, USA
Title: Unraveling the mechanism of actions for thymoquinone and EGCG on cancer cells
Biography
Biography: Michelle Tucci
Abstract
Natural products like epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG) and Thymoquinone (TQ). EGCG is considered to be responsible for most of the healthy benefits associated with green tea. In particular, EGCG is a polyphenol, which helps with the production of certain proteins and alkaloids. TQ is a compound derived from the black seeds called Nigella sativa. TQ has been used for more years as a medicinal herb to fight disease and boost immunity. Our recent findings have shown that EGCG and TQ to be effective in interrupting the growth of many different types of cancer cells. The exact mechanism of action are currently unknown. We have investigated both compounds for their effectiveness in reducing cancer cell loads in numerous cell lines and each compound appears to an IC50 dose that is cell line specific as well as targets different signaling pathways. Overall, functional and histopathological evaluation of both compounds may be more effective in combination with other chemotherapeutic agents to ultimately arrest the invasiveness of neoplastic cells.