Abstract
Introduction: Date palm pollen (DPP) is the
male reproductive soft powder from date
flowers widely used as the valuable dietary
supplement to fortify the size of testis and
ovarian to increase the power of sex. This
part of date palm significantly exhibited
anti-diabetic, anti-inflammation and
protective effects against male and female
infertility. Though the anticancer activity of
date fruits was previously reported, the DPP
anti-angiogenic effects were not reported,
and as the first study, its inhibitory effects were examined in the current study.
Methods: The DPP soft powder was collected to prepare its hydro-alcoholic extract to examine its
anti-angiogenic activity in an in vitro model. At different concentrations, the cytotoxicity of the
prepared extract was examined on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) using lactate
dehydrogenase method. Cell proliferation was determined using the MTT assay and cytodex-3D
model in collagen gel was used to assay its possible anti-angiogenic activity. The expression of
VEGF, MMP-2 and MMP-9 genes was measured using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR).
Finally, molecular docking simulation was used to highlight the possible role of DPP polyphenols
to interact with the associated receptors.
Results: The prepared hydro-alcoholic extract exhibited significant anti-angiogenic activity in a
dose-dependent manner and decreased the endothelial cell proliferation. The calculated IC50 value
for the examined extract in angiogenesis model was 260 µg·mL, respectively. Also, the expression
of VEGF, MMP-2 and MMP-9 genes were significantly decreased. Docking simulation results
unveiled that the isolated DPP polyphenols have the affinity to interact with ctDNA, VEGF and
its receptors.
Conclusion: The DPP is the new source of non-toxic anti-cancer agents to use as a dietary
supplement in the pre-treatment of cancer.