Abstract
Cancer is a significant health problem in the world. Consequently, this disease occurs because of the uncontrolled growth of cells caused by the accumulation of differences in DNA. In 2018, global cancer reported cancer incidence of about 18.1 million and deaths at 9.6 million worldwide. However, the number is estimated to reach 28.4 million cases by 2040, a 48% rise from 2020 due to the increasing number of transitions; moreover, In 2018, WHO reported that cervical cancer is the most common neoplasm among women in less developed regions, with an estimation of 570 000 cases and 311 000 deaths, respectively. At the same time, GLOBOCAN suggested a higher burden of cervical cancer in less developed countries, as it is primary cancer in women in Eastern and Central Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa. This is due to insufficient health resources in less developed countries than developed countries, leading to late diagnosis. So, Africa holds 7.3% of the world's cancer incidence and 5.8% of the total cancer deaths. In 1983, Harald Zur Hausen and colleagues established the first connection between cervical cancer development and human papillomavirus.
In South Africa, cervical cancer ranks second amongst women, with those aged 15-44 years showing high incidence and death cases. So, the RBBP6 gene is found to play a role in the development of cancer and cell cycle, although it is unclear which variant is involved. The existing cancer therapies such as chemotherapy and surgery possess primary side effects due to their toxicity. Furthermore, the current medication is costly. Medicinal plants have become of interest in scientific research as they contain more active, less toxic ingredients. The focus is on using the Cannabis sativa extracts on the cervical cancer cell line to evaluate its regulation of apoptosis. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the cervical cancer progression following treatment with Cisplatin, Cannabis sativa and silencing of RBBP6. Alamar blue assay was employed to study the cytotoxicity or cell viability of Cannabis sativa extracts on cervical cancer cell lines at different concentrations and determine the IC50. Both methanol and ethanol extracts of Cannabis sativa showed concentration-dependent inhibition of cells. The Cannabis sativa extracts tested resulted in decreased cell viability at high concentrations. The morphological changes were investigated following both Cannabis sativa methanol and ethanol extracts treatment and resulted in membrane blebbing, shrinkage and round shape. The Annexin V/Propidium iodide assay/Staining was done to determine the type of cell death the extracts would induce on cervical cancer cell lines, resulting in induction of apoptosis. Another way to assess the induction of apoptosis was through caspase 3/7 activity.
Keywords: Cannabis sativa, RBBP6, Cervical cancer, apoptosis