RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Vernonia cinerea (VC) is an important medicinal plant used in the indigenous system of therapy. In ethnomedicine, VC has demonstrated anticancer properties. However, the mechanisms of action VC is not known. OBJECTIVE: To establish the anticancer mechanisms of 'bioactive fractions of VC' on human adenocarcinoma cells. METHODS: The IC50 values of characterized VC extract and fractions in human adenocarcinoma and normal epithelial cells were determined using Sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay. Acridine Orange- Ethidium Bromide (AO-EB) assay/Hoechst 33342 assay, Comet assay, and Cell cycle analysis were used to determine apoptosis, genotoxicity, and cell cycle-specific changes in cancer cells, respectively. Rhodamine 123 (Rho-123) efflux assay and Mitoxantrone (MX) efflux assay were used to assess the inhibition of Multidrug Resistance (MDR) transporters. RESULTS: The dichloromethane fraction of VC (VC-DM) imparted dose-dependent cytotoxicity in human adenocarcinoma cells with fewer effects in human normal epithelial cells. This 'sesquiterpenoids' enriched fraction (VC-DM) induced apoptosis, DNA damage, genotoxicity, and G2/M phase arrest in human adenocarcinoma cells. Interestingly, VC-DM significantly inhibited the functional activity of MDR transporters (ABCB1 and ABCG2) and caused 'synergistic cytotoxic effects' with anticancer drugs in human adenocarcinoma cells. CONCLUSION: The bioactivity guided fractionation of VC revealed that the specific 'sesquiterpenoids enriched fraction' (VC-DM) imparted cytotoxicity in human adenocarcinoma cells with fewer effects on normal cells. Mechanistic studies have shown that VC-DM induced apoptosis, DNA damage, genotoxicity, cell cycle arrest (G2/M), inhibited the functional activity of MDR transporters (ABCB1 and ABCG2), and produced 'synergistic cytotoxic effects' (combinatorial treatments with anticancer drugs) in human adenocarcinoma cells. Taken together, the findings of this study emphasize and validates VC-DM as a promising 'anticancer agent' against human adenocarcinomas, including those with a multi-drug resistant phenotype.
Asunto(s)
Adenocarcinoma/tratamiento farmacológico , Antineoplásicos Fitogénicos/farmacología , Cloruro de Metileno/química , Extractos Vegetales/farmacología , Vernonia/química , Subfamilia B de Transportador de Casetes de Unión a ATP/metabolismo , Adenocarcinoma/genética , Adenocarcinoma/metabolismo , Adenocarcinoma/patología , Antineoplásicos Fitogénicos/química , Apoptosis/efectos de los fármacos , Neoplasias de la Mama/tratamiento farmacológico , Neoplasias de la Mama/genética , Neoplasias de la Mama/metabolismo , Neoplasias de la Mama/patología , Puntos de Control del Ciclo Celular/efectos de los fármacos , Neoplasias Colorrectales/tratamiento farmacológico , Neoplasias Colorrectales/genética , Neoplasias Colorrectales/metabolismo , Neoplasias Colorrectales/patología , Daño del ADN , Resistencia a Múltiples Medicamentos/efectos de los fármacos , Resistencia a Antineoplásicos/efectos de los fármacos , Femenino , Humanos , Neoplasias Pulmonares/tratamiento farmacológico , Neoplasias Pulmonares/genética , Neoplasias Pulmonares/metabolismo , Neoplasias Pulmonares/patología , Células Tumorales CultivadasRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Medicinal plants have played an important role in the development of clinically useful anticancer agents. Elephantopus scaber (Asteraceae) (ES) is widely used in Indian traditional system of medicine for the treatment of various ailments including cancer. OBJECTIVE: To investigate anticancer effects of ES in human epithelial cancer cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Cytotoxicity of ethanolic extract of ES (ES-ET) and its fractions, such as ES Petroleum ether fraction (ES-PET), ES Dichloromethane fraction (ES DCM), n Butyl alcohol fraction (ES-BT), and ES-Rest (ES-R) were assessed in human epithelial cancer cell lines using sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay. Acridine orange/ethidium bromide assay and Hoechst 33342 assays were used to gauge induction of apoptosis. Cell cycle analysis and micronuclei assay were used to assess cell cycle specific pharmacological effects and drug induced genotoxicty. Further, the ability of ES to inhibit multi drug resistant (MDR) transporters (ABC-B1 and ABC-G2) was determined by Rhodamine (Rho) and Mitoxantrone (MXR) efflux assays. RESULTS: The enriched fraction of ES (ES DCM) possessed dose-dependent potent cytotoxicity in human epithelial cancer cells. Further, treatment of cancer cells (HeLa, A549, MCF-7, and Caco-2) with ES DCM showed hall mark properties of apoptosis (membrane blebbing, nuclear condensation etc.). Similarly, ES DCM caused enhanced sub G0 content and micronuclei formation indicating the induction of apoptosis and drug induced genotoxicity in cancer cells, respectively. Interestingly, ES DCM inhibited MDR transporters (ABC B1 and ABC G2) in cancer cells. CONCLUSION: The enriched fraction of ES imparted cytotoxic effects, triggered apoptosis, induced genotoxicity, and inhibited MDR transporters in human epithelial cancer cells. Thus, ES appears to be potential anticancer agent.