Wild thyme herbal infusion consumption suppresses tumor growth in a murine model of breast cancer

Abstract

Wild thyme (Thymus serpyllum) belongs to the Lamiaceae family. They were used traditionally to treat different sorts of diseases, including cancer. The current study aims to evaluate both anticancer and immunomodulatory activities of wild thyme water extract. The antiproliferative activities of the extract were tested against different cancer cell lines using MTT assay, while the degree of apoptosis induction and VEGF expression were detected using ELISA. The lymphocyte proliferation assay was used to evaluate the acquired immunity, whereas both: nitro blue tetrazolium assay and the neutral red method were used to assess the innate activity; phagocytosis and pinocytosis, respectively. Balb/C mice were inoculated with the EMT6/P breast cancer cells and received the extract orally for 14 days. GC-MS and LC-MS were used to determine the composition of the wild thyme water extract. Results showed that wild thyme had significant apoptosis induction and angiogenesis suppression effects. The extract stimulated lymphocyte proliferation, phagocytosis and pinocytosis strongly. Seventy percent (70%) of the mice taking this extract did not develop tumors, with a percentage of tumor reduction (49.4%). Rosmarinic acid was the highest in the wild thyme water extract in GC-MS and LC-MS. Wild thyme herbal infusion is rich in phytochemicals that have the potential to activate the immune system and inhibit tumor progression. Further testing is required to understand the exact molecular mechanisms of this extract. Further studies are also needed to test the wild thyme infusion against tumors of different types established in mice.