Insulin-sensitizing and Anti-proliferative Effects of Argania Spinosa Seed Extracts

Overview

Journal Evid Based Complement Alternat Med

Specialty Rehabilitation Medicine

Date 2006 Sep 5

PMID 16951716

Citations 27

Authors

Samira Samane

Josette Noel

Zoubida Charrouf

Hamid Amarouch

Pierre Selim Haddad

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Argania spinosa is an evergreen tree endemic of southwestern Morocco. Many preparations have been used in traditional Moroccan medicine for centuries to treat several illnesses including diabetes. However, scientific evidence supporting these actions is lacking. Therefore, we prepared various extracts of the argan fruit, namely keel, cake and argan oil extracts, which we tested in the HTC hepatoma cell line for their potential to affect cellular insulin responses. Cell viability was measured by Trypan Blue exclusion and the response to insulin evaluated by the activation of the extracellular regulated kinase (ERK1/2), ERK kinase (MEK1/2) and protein kinase B (PKB/Akt) signaling components. None of the extracts demonstrated significant cytotoxic activity. Certain extracts demonstrated a bi-phasic effect on ERK1/2 activation; low doses of the extract slightly increased ERK1/2 activation in response to insulin, whereas higher doses completely abolished the response. In contrast, none of the extracts had any significant effect on MEK whereas only a cake saponin subfraction enhanced insulin-induced PKB/Akt activation. The specific action of argan oil extracts on ERK1/2 activation made us consider an anti-proliferative action. We have thus tested other transformed cell lines (HT-1080 and MSV-MDCK-INV cells) and found similar results. Inhibition of ERK1/2 activation was also associated with decreased DNA synthesis as evidenced by [(3)H]thymidine incorporation experiments. These results suggest that the products of Argania spinosa may provide a new therapeutic avenue against proliferative diseases.

Citing Articles

Argan: Phytochemical profiling and evaluation of the antioxidant, hypoglycemic, and antibacterial properties of its fruit pulp extracts.

Alaoui A, Sahri N, Mahdi I, Fahsi N, El Herradi E, Sobeh M Heliyon. 2024; 10(1):e23612.

PMID: 38283239 PMC: 10818192. DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e23612.

Moroccan Medicinal Plants Used to Treat Cancer: Ethnomedicinal Study and Insights into Pharmacological Evidence.

El Hachlafi N, Benkhaira N, Ferioun M, Kandsi F, Jeddi M, Chebat A Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2022; 2022:1645265.

PMID: 36330227 PMC: 9626195. DOI: 10.1155/2022/1645265.

In Vitro & In Vivo Anti-Hyperglycemic Potential of Saponins Cake and Argan Oil from .

Kamal R, Kharbach M, Vander Heyden Y, Yu H, Bouklouze A, Cherrah Y Foods. 2021; 10(5).

PMID: 34068075 PMC: 8152476. DOI: 10.3390/foods10051078.

Depigmenting effect of argan press-cake extract through the down-regulation of Mitf and melanogenic enzymes expression in B16 murine melanoma cells.

Bourhim T, Villareal M, Gadhi C, Hafidi A, Isoda H Cytotechnology. 2018; 70(5):1389-1397.

PMID: 29946948 PMC: 6214846. DOI: 10.1007/s10616-018-0232-6.

Nutraceutical potentialities of Tunisian Argan oil based on its physicochemical properties and fatty acid content as assessed through Bayesian network analyses.

Hanana M, Mezghenni H, Ben Ayed R, Ben Dhiab A, Jarradi S, Jamoussi B Lipids Health Dis. 2018; 17(1):138.

PMID: 29903007 PMC: 6003034. DOI: 10.1186/s12944-018-0782-9.

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