Isolation, radioiodination of estragole from basil plant and investigation of the bahaviour on brain cancer cell lines by using in vitro cell culture methods

Nowadays, plant origined treatment applications continue to gain importance. Especially, various investigations have gained more importance on plants that are less toxic especially on very common and difficult-to-treat cancer types. Preclinical studies have reported that basil and its components have anti-chemotherapeutic, tumor-cell inhibiting effects. Nuclear Medicine; is a medical discipline that aims at the diagnosis or treatment of disease by utilizing the rays of radioactive materials. It is known that some radionuclides used in Nuclear Medicine can be directed to these tissues with plant-derived compounds selective for cancerous tissues. 131I is an important radioisotope that is preferred both for diagnosis and treatment because of its energy and half-life. In the present project, initially, Estragole (EST) was isolated from basil leaves extract. The isolation process was performed by High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) system. The isolated EST was radioiodinated with 131I by using iodegen method. Radioiodination performed with the aim of examining both the diagnosis and therapy potential of the EST. Quality control of the radiolabeled EST (131I-EST) was performed by using Thin Layer Radio Chromatography (TLRC). In vitro cell, culture studies were performed to investigate the bio affinity of radiolabeled and plant origined EST on human medulloblastoma (Daoy) and human glioblastoma-astrocytoma (U-87 MG) cell lines. Within these studies, the toxicity of EST was determined and cell uptake of 131I-EST was investigated by incorporation studies. It was observed that the EST isolated from the extract of basil leaves was radioiodinated with 131I in high yields and preserved its radio stability for 24 hours. 131I-EST exhibited higher uptake (~ 8-9%) especially on Daoy cells compared to 131I. As the outputs of this project, 131I-EST, which synthesized within the scope of the current project, is thought to have a great prospect for both diagnosis and treatment potential on brain cancer. It is proposed that the radioiodinated EST would have both diagnostic and therapeutic effects on the brain cells. In vitro cell, culture studies of the current project form the basis of future studies and in vivo studies on experimental animals may be carried out as part of further studies of the present study.