Chios Mastic Gum Inhibits Growth and Induces Apoptosis of Oral Cancer Cells

Many anticancer drugs exert their cytotoxicity by inhibiting DNA synthesis and cell replication. However, side effects such as bone marrow suppression, gastrointestinal toxicity, and renal damage remain to be addressed (Peterson et al., 1992). One avenue to developing clinically applicable chemotherapeutic agents with fewer complications is to screen traditional medicinal plants, which have been used for thousands of years with a very low number of side effects, for their anticancer activity (Lee et al., 2007; Park et al., 2008; Ricci et al., 2010). Chios mastic gum (CMG) is a white resin obtained from the trunk and leaves of Pistacia lentiscus var. Chia. Mastic gum and its essential oils are natural antimicrobial agents that have been used extensively in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern countries, both as a dietary supplement and herbal remedy, since antiquity (Loizou et al., 2009). Mastic gum is known to have antioxidant (Abdel-Rahman and Soad, 1975), anti-bacterial (Magiatis et al., 1999; Koutsoudaki et al., 2005), cosmetic, and teeth-cleaning properties (Wellmann, 1907), as well as anti-Helicobacter pylori properties (Huwez et al., 1998; Marone et al., 2001). Recent studies demonstrate that CMG induces apoptosis of human colon cancer cells through caspase-dependent pathways in vitro and cell growth inhibition of prostate cancer cells (Balan et al., 2005; Balan et al., 2007), as well as inhibiting the proliferation of androgen-independent prostate cancer, apparently through modulation of the