Formulation and evaluation of anticancer potential of whey-based multi-ingredient beverage in oral cancer cell line

Abstract

Oral cancer is a significant source of mortality and morbidity across borders. The development of novel regimens with high efficacy and minimal adverse effects is therefore desperately needed. The intended purpose of the current study was to formulate a WMB mix by blending whey, tomato pulp, banana, flaxseed, and sesame oil cakes, as well as examine nutritional, physico-chemical, rheological, and sensory aspects along with antioxidant and anticancer potential on KB oral cancer cells by examining its involvement in how it plays a part in cell proliferation, activation of apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, and related morphological changes. Different test formulations were made by varying the amount of whey and tomato pulp in the mixture, then drum drying it. Five variants of drinks were made by blending whey and tomato pulp and labelled as C (0:88), T1 (45:43), T2 (65:23) and T3 (75:13), and T4 (85:3), and each blends have 10% banana pulp, 1% each of flaxseed and sesame seed oil cake. The blend of 45% whey and 43% tomato pulp (T1) presented the maximum overall acceptability scores from sensorial analysis and highest profile in terms of nutritional and bioactive components. It also demonstrated preferable physicochemical, rheological traits and antioxidant profile that could help to valorize whey. The MTT assay revealed that a dosage of 200 μg mL−1 was effective for 50% cytotoxicity against KB oral cancer cells but had relatively low cytotoxicity on normal murine fibroblast cells (3T3-L1). Further, T1 at this concentration also induced early apoptosis in the same cell line, whereas standard doxorubicin exhibited late apoptosis. In addition, T1 displayed G2 phase arrest of 25.93% and S phase arrest of 13.07% in KB OC cells that are nearly identical to G2 and S phase arrest caused by the standard doxorubicin. These observations raise the prospects of using whey-based beverages for possible cancer prevention thereby contributing to whey, flaxseed and sesame oil cakes’ revalorization.