Passiflora edulis Juice Effect on Lipid Content in Primary Human Colon Adenocarcinoma Cells (SW480) and Their Lymph Node Metastatic Derivatives (SW620)

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Cancer cells modify their lipid metabolism to proliferate. The Passiflora edulis fruit juice (FruJu) contains phytochemicals with antitumor properties. This work studied the effect of FruJu on cell viability, cholesterol concentration, and intracellular triglycerides in SW480 and SW620 cells. The antiproliferative activity was studied through sulforhodamine B; lipids through Folch’s method. At 12 h, under the same culture conditions, the cell lines showed differences in their growth rate (p=0.0034). The FruJu at 39.6 μg/ml diminished cell viability: SW480 (45.6%) and SW620 (45.1%). Without exposure to the FruJu, the concentrations of cholesterol and triglycerides were significantly higher in SW480 (6.9 μg/mgPt and 8.3 μg/mgPt, respectively) compared with SW620 (4.9 μg/mgPt and 7.0 μg/mgPt, respectively) (p<0.0025 and p=0.0037). The FruJu at 39.6 μg/ml diminished cholesterol significantly (44.6%) and triglycerides (46.5%) in SW480; while in SW620, cholesterol content decreased 14.8% and increased triglycerides by 7%. In conclusion, the FruJu diminished the proliferation capacity and cholesterol concentration in SW480 and SW620. These findings suggest that inhibition of cell growth could be associated with the intracellular biosynthesis of cholesterol, but not of triglycerides, hence, it is possible that the FruJu has different action mechanisms on the metabolism of these lipids in colon adenocarcinoma cells and their metastatic derivatives.