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bioRxiv · 10.1101/2025.10.03.680243

Citrus IntegroPectin bioconjugates induce apoptosis, decrease proliferation, reduce reactive oxygen species, alleviate mitochondrial oxidative stress, upregulate miR-146 expression and downregulate expression of Interleukin-8 in lung cancer cells

D'Anna, C.·Di Sano, C.·Li Petri, G.·Angellotti, G.·Taverna, S.·Cammarata, G.·Ciriminna, R.·Pagliaro, M.
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Abstract

Tested on adenocarcinoma A549 cell line, IntegroPectin bioconjugates derived from the industrial processing waste of different organically grown Citrus fruits exert a pleiotropic activity in their anticancer mechanism by targeting different molecular pathways. This study shows that these novel bioconjugates induce apoptosis, decrease short-term proliferation response, reduce reactive oxygen species, alleviate mitochondrial oxidative stress, upregulate miR-146 expression and downregulate expression of Interleukin-8. Given the health beneficial properties of both citrus pectin and citrus flavonoids, and the frequency of lung cancer, said findings support urgent investigation of these new flavonoid-pectin conjugates in preclinical and clinical cancer treatment trials.

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D'Anna, C., Di Sano, C., Li Petri, G., Angellotti, G., Taverna, S., Cammarata, G., Ciriminna, R., Pagliaro, M.. 2025-10-07. Citrus IntegroPectin bioconjugates induce apoptosis, decrease proliferation, reduce reactive oxygen species, alleviate mitochondrial oxidative stress, upregulate miR-146 expression and downregulate expression of Interleukin-8 in lung cancer cells. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.10.03.680243

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