Selective toxicity of Caspian cobra (Naja oxiana) venom on liver cancer cell mitochondria

• Published in: Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine
• Main Authors: Enayatollah Seydi, Shabnam Babaei, Amir Fakhri, Jalal Pourahmad
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2017
• Subjects: Naja oxiana; Apoptosis; Hepatocellular carcinoma; Hepatocytes; Mitochondria; Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine; RC955-962; Biology (General); QH301-705.5; Arctic
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apjtb.2017.01.021; https://doaj.org/article/0e117a45febc49718c5bebaa54b02611

Objective: To explore the cytotoxicity effects of Caspian cobra (Naja oxiana or N. oxiana) venom on hepatocytes and mitochondria obtained from the liver of HCC rats. Methods: In this study, HCC was induced by diethylnitrosamine (DEN), as an initiator, and 2-acetylaminofluorene (2-AAF), as a promoter. Rat liver hepatocytes and mitochondria for evaluation of the selective cytotoxic effect of N. oxiana venom were isolated and mitochondria and cellular parameters related to apoptosis signaling were then determined. Results: Our results showed a raise in mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, swelling in mitochondria, mitochondrial membrane potential (Δψm) collapse and release of cytochrome c after exposure of mitochondria only isolated from the HCC group with the crude venom of the N. oxiana (12.5, 25, and 50 μg/mL). This crude venom also induced caspase-3 activation (P < 0.001) in the hepatocytes obtained only from the HCC rat liver. Conclusions: Based on the over all results, we suggested that N. oxiana may be considered as a promising complementary therapeutic agent for the treatment of HCC.