Original researchTop Antitumor activity of Papua’s Myrmecodia pendans in human oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma cell line through induction of cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor p27Kip1 and suppression of cyclin E

Oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma (OTSCC) is one of the most common cancers encountered in Indonesia, due to the prevalent habits of tobacco chewing, alcohol drinking and smoking. Oral tongue cancer is characterized by a high degree of local invasion and a high rate of metastasis to the cervical lymph nodes. Interestingly, treatment options for this cancer are limited. The aim of this study was to examine the antitumor activity of Papua’s Myrmecodia pendans (ant nest plant) in a human oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma cell line (B88) and to explore the possible mechanism in it. In the present study, B88 cells were treated with various concentration of ethanol extract of Papua’s M. pendans. The results revealed that B88 cells treated with Papua’s M. pendans were remarkable suppressed in cell growth and cell invasion, and had a significant induction of apoptosis characterized by an increase in activation of caspase-3 and-9. Furthermore, up-regulation of p27Kip1 and down-regulation of cyclin E protein was detected in B88 cells treated with Papua’s M. pendans. These results indicated that Papua’s M. pendans exhibited a high potential antitumor activity in human oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma through induction of p27Kip1 and suppression of cycline E.