Ultrasonic Modified Sweet Potato Pectin Induces Apoptosis like Cell Death in Colon Cancer (HT-29) Cell Line.

Background: Pectin and especially modified citrus pectin possesses anticancer activity. Hence, the current study investigated anticancer activity of ultrasonic-modified sweet potato pectin (SPP) on HT-29 cells to assess its potential as a cancer therapeutic agent.

Method: The effect of ultrasonic treatment on SPP molecular weight, galacturonic acid content, degree of methoxylation, and neutral sugar was investigated. Moreover, the effect of sonicated variant on human HT-29 cell proliferation was assessed by MTT assay, cell cytotoxicity, and apoptosis by Annexin V/PI flow cytometer and caspase-3 activity was studied.

Results And Discussion: Sonication led up to seven-fold decrease in molecular weight. The degree of methoxylation (DM) decreased more than two-fold. Moreover, the galacturonic acid (GalA) content increased up to 92%, arabinose and galactose content increased. The SSPP inhibited cell proliferation with the IC values 0.5 mg/ml and 0.75 mg/ml for 400 W and 200 W SSPP, respectively. Moreover, 14.41 ± 1.64% cell cytotoxicity was elicited by 400 W SSPP and 6.83 ± 0.80% by 200 W SSPP. Both SSPPs induced apoptosis with 400 W SSPP eliciting 19.42% and 42.21% apoptosis at 0.1 and 0.5 mg/ml, while 200 W SSPP induced 13.79% and 39.50% apoptosis at 0.1 and 0.5 mg/ml, respectively. SSPP activity increased with both increased concentration and sonication intensity.