Showcase of Undergraduate Research and Creative Endeavors (SOURCE)

Induction of Apoptosis by Uncaria tomentosa (Cat’s Claw) Extract in Prostate Cancer

Richardson Ballroom (DIGS)

Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers found in men around the world. Recently, cancer studies have become more focused on finding homeopathic remedies to combat cancer as people move away from more toxic, traditional Western cancer treatments. Uncaria tomentosa, commonly known as Cat’s Claw, is a woody vine found in the Amazonian rainforest and has been commonly used for its anti-inflammatory, anti-cancerous properties by the local shamans. Previous investigations in our lab have shown that Cat’s Claw increased proliferation and had no effect on cell invasion. The purpose of this study was to determine if U. tomentosa extract can induce controlled cell death, or apoptosis, in the specific prostate cancer cell line, PC3. First, Cat’s Claw extract was prepared following Peruvian shamans’ methodology. PC3 cells were grown under normal cell growth conditions except for the addition of the increasing concentrations of Cat’s Claw extract. The effect of Cat’s Claw on the PC3 apoptosis was determined using a Molecular Probes EnzChek Caspase 3 Assay kit. The concentrations of 0.1X and 0.5X Cat’s Claw were shown to induce apoptosis in PC3s at four hours. From this study, we determined that Cat’s Claw does induce apoptosis in PC3 cells.