Antiproliferative effects of extracts from Iranian Artemisia species on cancer cell lines.

OBJECTIVE: Different species of Artemisia (Asteraceae) have shown to exhibit antitumor activity. The aim of this study was to identify the antiproliferative effect of some Artemisia species from Iran on cultured human cancer cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Methanol, ethyl acetate, dichloromethane and n-hexane extracts from aerial parts of seven species of Artemisia were prepared and their antiproliferative effects on four cancer (AGS, HeLa, HT-29 and MCF-7) and normal cell line (L929) were determined. Different concentrations of extracts were added to cultured cells and incubated for 72 h. 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay was employed to assess the cell viability. RESULTS: Different extracts exert various growth inhibitory effects. In case of AGS cells, dichloromethane and methanol extracts of A. ciniformis Krasch. & Popov ex Poljak. (IC(50) values: 35 and 60 µg/ml, respectively) showed the highest growth inhibitory effects. HeLa cells were more sensitive to both A. diffusa Krasch. ex Poljak. dichloromethane (IC(50) value: 71 µg/ml) and A. ciniformis ethylacetate (IC(50) value: 73 µg/ml) extracts. Dichloromethane extracts of A. diffusa, A. santolina Schrenk and A. ciniformis (IC(50) values: 42, 91 and 94 µg/ml, respectively) exhibited more inhibition on HT-29 cells in comparison to other extracts. MCF-7 cells were best inhibited by A. ciniformis dichloromethane (IC(50) value: 29 µg/ml) and A. vulgaris L. ethyl acetate (IC(50) value: 57 µg/ml) extracts. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: This study shows the antiproliferative effects of Artemisia extracts on malignant cell lines. Artemisia could be also considered as a promising chemotherapeutic agent in cancer treatment.

Sesquiterpene lactone fraction from Artemisia khorassanica inhibits inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 expression through the inactivation of NF-κB.

OBJECTIVE: Members of the Artemisia genus (Astraceae) are important medicinal plants throughout the world. Here, we prepared a sesquiterpene lactone fraction from Artemisia khorassanica (SLAK) and evaluated its effect on inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) expression, and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activity. METHODS: The effects of SLAK on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced NO, prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1ß (IL-1ß) production was evaluated in mouse macrophage J774A.1 cells. Moreover, we evaluated SLAK modulation of iNOS and COX-2 enzyme expression by western blot analysis. RESULTS: Our data revealed that SLAK (10-100 µg/mL), in a dose-dependent manner, inhibits NO, PGE(2), TNF-α, and IL-1ß production induced by LPS in the J774A.1 cells. These data were consistent with the modulation of iNOS and COX-2 expressions. It was also showed that SLAK suppresses the iNOS and COX-2 enzyme expression through the inhibition of NF-κB activity. CONCLUSION: In this study, we demonstrated that SLAK inhibits the production of NO, PGE2, TNF-α, and IL-1ß in LPS-stimulated macrophages. This anti-inflammatory effect possibly occurs by inhibiting iNOS and COX-2 expression via the inactivation of NF-κB pathway.

Inhibitory Activity of Eleven Artemisia Species from Iran against Leishmania Major Parasites.

OBJECTIVES: Annual incidence of cutaneous leishmaniasis is increasingly growing and development of the alternative drugs against it is a major concern. Artemisia genus is a traditional medicinal plant in Iran. The aim of this study was to examine the leishmanicidal activity of various Iranian Artemisia species extracts. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Different extracts were gathered from eleven Iranian Artemisia species. Their leishmanicidal activities against the growth of Leishmania major (L. major) promastigotes were examined as the half maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) using MTT assay. RESULTS: Obtained results showed that ethanol extracts especially those taken from A. ciniformis, A. santolina and A. kulbadica have the strongest effects. CONCLUSION: Looking for the effective leishmanicidal agents from natural resources in Iran, we found that the ethanol extract of collected Artemisia species had significant effect on in vitro leishmanicidal activity and may be suitable candidates in the treatment of leishmaniasis.