الفهرس 
The Black Blister Beetle (Meloe proscarabaeus)Only 14 pages are availabe for public view
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Abstract
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) or liver cancer is one of the most common cancer types worldwide, with a high prevalence and a very low survival rate of 3-5%. Many factors play a role in the etiology of HCC, but most causes are hepatitis B and C viruses. Curative options of HCC can be considered only in early diagnosis. In advanced stages, and distant HCC metastases, palliative treatments are proposed. HCC cells, unlike normal cells, are resistant to death receptor-mediated apoptosis. Even though many chemotherapeutic drugs have been developed for HCC therapy, the results have not been promising yet because of drug resistance, and systemic toxicity, specifically in the advanced stages.
As a result, searching for new natural compounds with cytotoxic effects against HCC cells was considered a future trend. One of the most promising compounds is cantharidin (CA), which is produced from the blister beetles (Meloidae). CA is a widely known insect natural product in the world and one of the most fascinating compounds in medicine due to its effects on human and domestic animals. When attacked or disturbed, adults of blister beetles release haemolymph droplets in so called ”reflex bleeding”. The highly toxic CA in the haemolymph, is a well defensive chemical against the aggressive predators.
The medicinal applications of CA as an effective chemotherapeutic agent were very promising in many fields, such as in dermal diseases, cardiac diseases, neurological disorders, immune diseases, parasitic infections and oncology.
Nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) plays a central role in the regulation of diverse biological processes, including immune responses, development, cell proliferation and survival. Deregulated NF-κB has been linked to a variety of human diseases, particularly cancers.
The NF-κB is constitutively activated in many types of cancer and can exert a variety of pro-tumorigenic functions since it is involved in all stages of tumorigenesis from initiation all the way to metastasis by regulation of expression of various tumor-related genes, promoting tumor growth and progression.
Aim of the study: This study was carried out to evaluate the anti-cancer effect of cantharidin (CA) extracted from the oil blister beetle (Meloe proscarabaeus) in vitro on human hepatocellular carcinoma and normal human embryonic kidney cell lines (HepG2 and HEK-293).