Inhibitory Effects of Date Fruit (Pheonix dactylifera L.) Extracts on Oral Cancer Cell Lines

Abstract

Date fruit (Phoenix dactylifera L.) has been known as a fruit with richness of nutrients, dietary fiber, essential minerals and vitamin contents. Previous studies reported that date fruit provided a variety of health benefits. Over the past five years, date palms have been cultivated throughout the north-eastern regions of Thailand, and date fruit becomes popular for Thai people. However, very limited data of date fruit in association with oral health benefits are available. The purpose of this study was to determine the effects of date fruit extracts on oral cancer cell lines. Date fruits derived from three stages including Kimri; Khalal; and Rutab were prepared for crude extraction by ethanol. Two oral cancer cell lines (ORL-48T and ORL-136T) were used in this study. Primary oral epithelial cells isolated from gingival tissue were used as control. Cell cytotoxicity and cell viability were determined by MTT assay.  DPPH assay was used to evaluate the antioxidant activity in date fruit extracts. According to analyzing chemical compositions, phenolic compounds and flavonoids were the essential components in date fruit extracts. According to MTT assays, date fruit extracts from three stages had inhibitory effects on two oral cancer cell lines, as compared with normal oral epithelial cells (p-value<0.05). The crude extracts from Khalal stage demonstrated the best inhibitory effect on reduction of oral cancer cell growth. In conclusion, the present study provides new evidence of inhibitory effects of date fruit extracts on oral cancer cell lines. These findings imply clinical use of date fruit extracts for oral health benefits.