Analysis of the anti-cancer effects of Taraxacum officinale seed extract

Abstract

Taraxacum officinale, known as dandelion, has been used in traditional medicines for centuries. In recent years, researchers have started to investigate the potential anti-cancer effects of dandelion extracts. The purpose of this thesis was to determine the gaps in and expand upon the current research involving these extracts. It was determined that experimentation on the anti-cancer effects of extracts derived from the seeds of T.officinale was lacking in the current literature. Cancerous HeLa cells and non-cancerous human dermal fibroblasts (HDF) cells were treated with dandelion seed extract (DSE), and the effect was studied; focusing on the viability and migration of cells along with an analysis of the effects on gene activity- specifically on SFRP1, Axin2, and BMF- via transcriptomic analysis and western blot testing. BMF is involved in apoptosis. Axin2 and SFRP1 are involved in the Wnt Pathway. It was found that there was no significant difference between the effect the DSE treatment had on the viability of the HeLa cell versus on the HDF cells. The migration assay showed that there were significant differences between the cancerous and non-cancerous cells at certain concentrations. It was shown, and later confirmed via western blots, that the DSE treatment affected the above genes in a way that suggested treatment caused a decrease in apoptotic activity and an increase in the activity of the Wnt Pathway in cancerous cells more than in non-cancerous cells.