Antiproliferative and Antimetastatic Ethanol Extract of Pomegranate (Punica granatum) Peel in Decreasing the Expression of Ki-67 and MMP-1 in Colon Cancer

This study investigates the efficacy of pomegranate peel extract (PPE) in inhibiting cancer cell growth and metastasis by modulating the expression of Ki-67 and MMP-1 in colon cancer tissue. The study involved six groups of mice (n = 5): a normal control group, a group with DSS-induced colon cancer, two positive control groups that received aspirin or ellagic acid, and two treatment groups that received different doses of PPE at 240 and 480 mg/kg, along with DSS induction. After the mice were sacrificed, their colon cancer tissues were fixed and subjected to immunohistochemical staining to assess the expression levels of MMP-1 and Ki-67. The results indicated that PPE significantly decreased the expression of both markers compared to the negative control (p < 0.05). These findings suggest that PPE may be an effective anticancer agent by suppressing cancer cell proliferation and metastasis.