Anticancer activity in vitro and biological safety evaluation in vivo of Sika deer antler protein

This study evaluated the antitumor activity in vitro and biological safety in vivo of Sika deer antler protein (SDAPR). MTT and plate cloning assays were used for anti-proliferation assessment of prostate cancer cells (PC-3M) while flow cytometry and western blot were used for apoptosis analysis. In addition, biological safety of SDAPR was evaluated by acute oral toxicity test, bone marrow micronucleus assay and sperm aberration experiment. The results showed that SDAPR could suppress proliferation capacity and induce apoptosis on PC-3M cells. No adverse effects were observed in Kunming mice following acute oral gavage with SDAPR at a dose of 8 g/kg body weight. The negative results obtained in bone marrow micronucleus test and sperm malformation assay demonstrated that SDAPR had no obvious toxicity to cause mutagenicity. In conclusion, SDAPR exerts anti-tumor effect with high biological safety, which suggested that it could be used as a potential chemotherapeutic agent for human health. Practical applications It demonstrates that Sika deer antler protein has anticancer effects and high biological safety on prostate cancer cells. In addition, this paper provides scientific basis for treating tumors with Sika deer antler.