Aloe vera extract suppresses proliferation of neuroblastoma cells in vitro

Background/Aim: Neuroblastoma is a pediatric solid tumor refractory to eradication by chemotherapy. To determine whether Aloe vera (AV), a pontial anticancer reagent, could be useful in neuroblastoma therapy, we investigated the anti-proliferative effects of an AV protein extract. Materials and Methods: Human neuroblastoma cell lines (IMR-32, TGW, CHP-126 and NBL-S) were cultured with AV protein extract and proliferation status was assessed by cell counting, Ki-67 staining and gene expression. Results: Among tested lines, the number of viable, AV-treated IMR-32 cells significantly decreased 1.98-fold by day 2 and 1.33-fold by day 5 of culture relative to untreated controls (p<0.05). Treatment also decreased the number of Ki-67(+) IMR-32 cells by 13% by day 5 (p<0.05) and, unlike untreated controls, CCND2 mRNA expression levels became undetectable by day 1. Conclusion: AV-protein extract suppresses human IMR-32 neuroblastoma cell proliferation, possibly by suppressing CCND2 transcript levels in vitro.