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The Bioflavonoid Galangin Suppresses the Growth of Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma in Swiss Albino Mice: A Molecular Insight

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Abstract

Bioflavonoids are plant compounds touted for their potential to treat or prevent several diseases including cancer caused by various stress conditions. Galangin (4H-1-Benzopyran-4-one, 3, 5, 7-trihydroxy-2-phenyl-), a flavonoid, is a polyphenolic compound found primarily in medicinal herb, Alpinia galanga. This study aims to demonstrate the galangin as a pharmacological lead compound using in vitro, in vivo, and in silico model targeting specific cancer condition and proteins. The proliferation of MCF-7 and Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) cells was significantly inhibited with an IC50 of 34.11 and 22.29 μg/ml, respectively. In an animal model system, galangin has inhibited the tumor growth by 73.51% ± 4.742 in EAC-induced Swiss Albino mice with no evidences of mortality as compared to standard drug, 5-fluorouracil. The effectiveness of galangin is proven in an animal system suggesting its pharmacokinetics behavior in an animal model which is also complemented by outcome of in silico analysis with more than 88 % of human intestinal absorption and significant Caco-2 cell, MDCK cell, and skin permeability as predicted by in silico methods. Galangin was docked against 19 different proteins involved in tumorogenesis and apoptosis; the energetic analysis indicates that it exhibits higher predicted binding free energy of −12.7 kcal/mol with Bcl-xL protein.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by University Grants Commission, New Delhi under the Major Research Project Scheme. We are also thankful to Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, PG Institute of Veterinary Sciences, Akola, India for their assistance in animal studies experiments. We acknowledge Bioinformatics Infrastructure Facility, Department of Biotechnology, Government of India for providing computer analysis facility.

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  1. Department of Biotechnology, Sant Gadge Baba Amravati University, Amravati, India

    Jai V. Jaiswal & Prasad A. Wadegaonkar

  2. Department of Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxicology, PG Institute of Veterinary Sciences, Akola, India

    Sunil W. Hajare

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  1. Jai V. Jaiswal
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Correspondence to Prasad A. Wadegaonkar.

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Jaiswal, J.V., Wadegaonkar, P.A. & Hajare, S.W. The Bioflavonoid Galangin Suppresses the Growth of Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma in Swiss Albino Mice: A Molecular Insight. Appl Biochem Biotechnol 167, 1325–1339 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12010-012-9646-3

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