ArticleBritish journal of cancer2004
Khat (Catha edulis)-induced apoptosis is inhibited by antagonists of caspase-1 and -8 in human leukaemia cells.
Article in British journal of cancer, 2004. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 21 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
21 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 66 citations in OpenAlex.
- Evaluation of Khat (Catha edulis) Use as a Risk Factor of Cancer: A Systematic Review.Asian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP · 2020Pooled it
- Qat Chewing and Risk of Potentially Malignant and Malignant Oral Disorders: A Systematic Review.The international journal of occupational and environmental medicine · 2015Pooled it
- Caspase-1 inhibition: mechanistic insights and comprehensive review of reported inhibitors to date.Inflammopharmacology · 2026Review
- One out of every three adult TB patients suffered from undernutrition in conflict affected Southern Ethiopia: a multicenter facility-based cross-sectional study.Frontiers in epidemiology · 2025Article
- Monitoring Apoptosis and Myeloid Differentiation of Acridine Orange-Mediated Sonodynamic Therapy-Induced Human Promyelocytic Leukemia HL60 Cells.Journal of ultrasound in medicine : official journal of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine · 2025Article
- Impact of khat (Catha edulis) and oral contraceptive use on telomerase levels and tumor suppressor genes p53 and p21 in normal subjects and breast cancer patients.Scientific reports · 2024Article
- Review
- Khat (Catha Edulis Forsk) induced apoptosis and cytotoxicity in cultured cells: A scoping review.Heliyon · 2021Article
- Qualitative ultrastructural analysis of the submandibular salivary glands after administration of khat: in vivo study.BMC research notes · 2021Article
- Progress and Research Trends onFrontiers in pharmacology · 2021Article
- Unraveling theFrontiers in pharmacology · 2021Article
- A Comparison of p53 Isoform Profiles and Apoptosis Induced by Camptothecin or a Herbal Khat Extract (Cancers · 2020Article
- Khat promotes human breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cell apoptosis via mitochondria and MAPK-associated pathways.Oncology letters · 2017Article
- Article
- Catha edulis Extract Induces H9c2 Cell Apoptosis by Increasing Reactive Oxygen Species Generation and Activation of Mitochondrial Proteins.Pharmacognosy magazine · 2016Article
- Effect of chronic khat (Catha edulis, Forsk) use on outcome of Plasmodium berghei ANKA infection in Swiss albino mice.BMC infectious diseases · 2015Article
- Qat Chewing and Periodontal Pathogens in Health and Disease: Further Evidence for a Prebiotic-Like Effect.BioMed research international · 2015Article
- Reversible khat-induced hepatitis: two case reports and review of the literature.Frontline gastroenterology · 2013Article
- Distinct single cell signal transduction signatures in leukocyte subsets stimulated with khat extract, amphetamine-like cathinone, cathine or norephedrine.BMC pharmacology & toxicology · 2013Article
- Camptothecin and khat (Catha edulis Forsk.) induced distinct cell death phenotypes involving modulation of c-FLIPL, Mcl-1, procaspase-8 and mitochondrial function in acute myeloid leukemia cell lines.Molecular cancer · 2009Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
8 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Khat chewing is a widespread habit that has a deep-rooted sociocultural tradition in Africa and the Middle East. The biological effects of khat are inadequately investigated and controversial. For the first time, we show that an organic extract of khat induces a selective type of cell death having all morphological and biochemical features of apoptotic cell death. Khat extract was shown to contain the major alkaloid compounds cathinone and cathine. The compounds alone and in combination also induced apoptosis. Khat-induced apoptosis occurred synchronously in various human cell lines (HL-60, NB4, Jurkat) within 8 h of exposure. It was partially reversed after removal of khat and the effect was dependent on de novo protein synthesis, as demonstrated by cotreatment with cycloheximide. The cell death was blocked by the pan-caspase inhibitor Z-VAD-fmk, and also by submicromolar concentrations of Z-YVAD-fmk and Z-IETD-fmk, inhibitors of caspase-1 and -8, respectively. The 50% inhibition constant (IC(50)) for khat (200 microg ml(-1))-induced apoptosis by Z-VAD-fmk, Z-YVAD-fmk and Z-IETD-fmk was 8 x 10(-7) M as compared to 2 x 10(-8) M and 8 x 10(-8) M, respectively. Western blot analysis showed a specific cleavage of procaspase-3 in apoptotic cells, which was inhibited by Z-VAD-fmk. The cell death by khat was more sensitively induced in leukaemia cell lines than in human peripheral blood leukocytes. It is concluded that khat induces a rather swift and sensitive cell death by apoptosis through mechanisms involving activation of caspase-1, -3 and -8.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.