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World J Gastrointest Oncol. Jun 15, 2026; 18(6): 117252
Published online Jun 15, 2026. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v18.i6.117252
Published online Jun 15, 2026. doi: 10.4251/wjgo.v18.i6.117252
Storax oil and boron compounds trigger apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in gastric and colorectal cancer
Buket Er Urganci, Sacide Çakal, Cihangir Dogan, Sibel Göçmen, Selda Şimşek, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Pamukkale University, Denizli 20160, Türkiye
Sevda Yılmaz, Department of General Surgery, Pamukkale University, Denizli 20160, Türkiye
Author contributions: Er Urganci B, Şimşek S, and Yılmaz S contributed to study concept and design; Dogan C and Göçmen S performed experimental studies and data acquisition; Er Urganci B and Çakal S performed data analysis and interpretation and wrote the initial draft; all authors revised and approved the final version of the manuscript.
AI contribution statement: Gemini was used for structuring the initial draft and Paperpal was used for language polishing. Portions of the manuscript, specifically the Introduction and Discussion sections, were drafted with the assistance of Paperpal to ensure academic flow. However, all scientific data, results, and specific interpretations are original and based on our laboratory findings. AI tools were used for language polishing and writing assistance to improve readability. No AI tool was used for the primary data analysis; all statistical analyses were performed using RT2 Profiler PCR Array Data Analysis software. All figures and clustergrams were generated using scientific software based on our original experimental data.
Institutional review board statement: Ethical approval was not required for this study.
Conflict-of-interest statement: The authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: Not applicable.
Corresponding author: Buket Er Urganci, PhD, Assistant Professor, Department of Medical Biology, Faculty of Medicine, Pamukkale University, Morphology Building, 3rd Floor, Denizli 20160, Türkiye. aber@pau.edu.tr
Received: December 3, 2025
Revised: December 19, 2025
Accepted: February 9, 2026
Published online: June 15, 2026
Processing time: 188 Days and 20.6 Hours
Revised: December 19, 2025
Accepted: February 9, 2026
Published online: June 15, 2026
Processing time: 188 Days and 20.6 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: This study demonstrates that storax oil, boric acid, and borax exert strong anticancer activity in gastric and colorectal cancer cells. Treatments significantly induced apoptosis by upregulating p53, Bax, and caspase expression, while suppressing Bcl-2 expression. Boron compounds enhanced cell cycle arrest through increased p21 and decreased CyclinD1 expression. Notably, combination treatments showed synergistic effects, producing greater apoptotic and anti-proliferative responses than individual agents. These findings highlight the potential of storax oil and boron derivatives as complementary therapeutic strategies, offering new insights into apoptosis and cell cycle regulation in gastrointestinal cancers.