Daria Sondej

Introduction and objective: Colorectal cancer takes an increasing toll every year. Despite the dynamic development of pharmacology, there is still no drug that would be strong enough to cause apoptosis of cancer cells, but at the same time would be free from numerous side effects. Taking traditional Eastern medicine into account, studies were carried out using an extract - laccase (LAC) from a medical mushroom called Cerrena unicolor- on CT-26 colon cancer cells. Preliminary cytotoxicity tests have already confirmed that the examined extract affects cancer cells and at the same time has no significant effect on L929 cells. The Electric Cell-substrate Impedance Sensing system (ECIS) and standard methods were used in this work. ECIS used in this study is an advanced in vitro impedance measuring system. Materials and methods: The CT-26 and L929 cells were treated by five different concentrations of the LAC preparation ranging from 0.025 to 250 μg/mL. Concentrations selected for the ECIS system assay were: 0.25;2.5 and 250 μg/mL. The default optimal frequencies in the ECIS system for Resistance (R) 4000Hz, Impedance (Z) 16000Hz, Capacitance (C) 64000Hz were used. Resluts: ECIS results demonstrate the potential anti-cancer activity of the laccase preparation against CT-26 cancer cells, and affect theL929 cells in to a lesser extent. Thanks to the use of the ECIS research technique, it was possible to monitor live changes in cell morphology and physiology, which translates into accurate conclusions about the action of the tested preparation.

Colorectal cancer is a diet-related cancer. There is much research into the effects of nutrients on the prevention, modulation, and treatment of colorectal cancer. Researchers are trying to find a correlation between epidemiological observations indicating certain dietary components as the originator in the process of developing colorectal cancer, such as a diet rich in saturated animal fats, and dietary components that could eliminate the impact of harmful elements of the daily nutritional routine, i.e., substances such as polyunsaturated fatty acids, curcumin, or resveratrol. Nevertheless, it is very important to understand the mechanisms underlying how food works on cancer cells. In this case, microRNA (miRNA) seems to be a very significant research target. MiRNAs participate in many biological processes connected to carcinogenesis, progression, and metastasis. However, this is a field with development prospects ahead. In this paper, we review the most significant and well-studied food ingredients and their effects on various miRNAs involved in colorectal cancer.