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Anticancer activity of Trigonella Foenumgraecum (fenugreek) seed extract by inducing apoptosis in pancreatic cancer

Nur Azizah Arryanie Binti Morshidi1, Md Salah Uddin2, Jungwhoi Lee3

  • 1Department of Biotechnology, College of Applied Life Science, SARI, Jeju National University Jeju 63608, Republic of Korea.

American Journal of Translational Research
|March 17, 2025
PubMed
Abstract

Insights

Fenugreek seed extract (FSE) shows promise as a pancreatic cancer treatment. FSE effectively inhibits cancer cell growth and migration by inducing apoptosis, without harming normal cells.

Area of Science:

  • Oncology
  • Pharmacology
  • Natural Products Chemistry

Background:

  • Pancreatic cancer is highly resistant to existing pharmaceutical treatments, necessitating novel therapeutic strategies.
  • Research into plant-derived compounds with anticancer properties is ongoing, with fenugreek seed extract (FSE) being a potential candidate.
  • The precise anticancer mechanisms of FSE in pancreatic cancer remain largely uncharacterized.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the potential of fenugreek seed extract (FSE) as a therapeutic agent against pancreatic cancer.
  • To elucidate the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying FSE's anticancer activity.

Main Methods:

  • Evaluated FSE's impact on pancreatic cancer cell viability and apoptosis using specific assays.
  • Quantified cancer cell migration using wound healing and Transwell assays.
  • Assessed key signaling pathways (MAPK, Akt) and metastasis-related proteins (MMP-9, vimentin) via Western blotting.
  • Identified active compounds in FSE using Liquid Chromatography-Tandem Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS/MS).

Main Results:

  • FSE significantly inhibited pancreatic cancer cell proliferation (Panc-1, Miapaca-2, SNU-213, Aspc-1) dose- and time-dependently.
  • Normal cells (293T) showed minimal impact from FSE treatment.
  • Anticancer effects were linked to apoptosis induction (cleaved caspase-3, Bax) and suppressed cell migration.
  • FSE modulated MAPK, Akt, MMP-9, and vimentin pathways by inactivating key phosphorylated proteins.

Conclusions:

  • Fenugreek seed extract demonstrates significant anticancer properties against pancreatic cancer cells.
  • FSE effectively induces apoptosis and inhibits metastasis in pancreatic cancer models.
  • The observed effects occur without significant toxicity to normal cells, highlighting FSE's therapeutic potential.
Keywords:
Anticancer activityLC-MS/MS analysisapoptosis inductioncell migrationfenugreek seed extract (FSE)

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