Olive leaf extract (OLE) on the metastasis and proliferation of C57BL/6J mouse melanoma

Andrew P Sellan, Purdue University

Abstract

The use of olives as both a food source and as a pharmaceutical treatment is nothing new to the world. In various cultures throughout history, olive oil has been used for mummification, diabetes, immune system enhancement, and also for cooking. It should not be surprising then, that after thousands of years of consumption and continued claims of effect, that there are continuing scientific studies to reaffirm and expand these claims. Olive leaf extract (OLE) has been found to have significant impacts on cancer suppression in numerous studies, including leukemia, hepatocellular carcinoma, and breast cancer. OLE is primarily used as a natural inhibitor of replication for pathogens such as bacteria and viruses, aiding in apoptosis and blocking angiogenesis. In our study, we looked to examine the effects of OLE on the ability of spleen cells to proliferate and on melanoma cells to be suppressed by using in vitro and in vivo testing. This was done by testing OLE on spleen cells from C57BL/6J mice and B16-F10 mouse melanoma. We also tested the ability of OLE to prophylactically protect C57 mice from challenge with B16 melanoma cells in vivo. In vitro spleen cell testing: We demonstrated that OLE decreased spleen cell proliferation rates and was dose dependent, yielding the greatest results at 0.625 ug/mL of OLE, with an average suppression of proliferation of over 60% compared to the control. In vitro melanoma testing: The results showed that OLE suppressed greater than 90% tumor cell proliferation when compared to control melanoma cells. The data indicated that concentrations of OLE yielded dose dependent rates of suppression. In vivo spleen cell testing: Spleen cells from mice that had been injected for 14 days with daily doses of 1.25 µg OLE and then were injected with melanoma while continuing to be treated with OLE for another 7 days had a 35% greater proliferation than control spleen cells from mice given melanoma without OLE. Interleukin 2 (IL-2) values determined from spleens from those mice were measured, however, the results were inconclusive. In vivo prophylaxis of OLE testing: Prophylactic treatment with OLE suppressed the mass of tumors by close to 50% and decreased the number of tumors per lung by 20.8%. Thus, we have shown that OLE has both direct effects on inhibiting proliferation of melanoma cells in vitro, as well as indirect effects, presumably through enhancing the immune response, in vivo. OLE could play major roles in encouraging immune health and delaying the detriments of melanoma, giving a better understanding of the role that the olive can play in immunity and lead to new discoveries for managing health homeopathically.

Degree

M.S.

Advisors

Blumenthal, Purdue University.

Subject Area

Immunology|Oncology

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