Antiproliferative and apoptosis inducing effects of the methanolic extract of Centaurea hermannii in human cervical cancer cell line

ABSTRACT

We investigated the antiproliferative and apoptosis inducing effects of a methanolic extract of Centaurea hermannii in Vero and HeLa cell lines. Both cell lines also were treated with doxorubicin. Antiproliferative effects were assessed by MTT assay and cell index parameters were determined using the xCELLigence real time cell analysis system (RTCA). The IC₅₀, the half maximal inhibitory concentration, and selectivity index (SI) values for doxorubicin and the C. hermannii extract were determined for both cell lines. At 48 h culture, the C. hermannii extract exhibited a potent cytotoxic effect in HeLa cells. Our MTT findings were consistent with morphological evaluation and analysis by the xCELLigence RTCA. The apoptosis inducing effect of the C. hermannii extract in HeLa cells was determined by flow cytometry; caspases 3, 7 and 9 activation assays; and quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction analysis. Our findings suggest that components of C. hermannii extract should be investigated as possible anticancer drugs.

KEYWORDS:

• Apoptosis
• caspases 3
• 7
• 9
• Centaurea hermannii
• doxorubicin
• flow cytometry
• qRT-PCR
• xCELLigence RTCA

Acknowledgments

Collection of C. hermannii and preparation of the methanolic extract was performed by Çağlayan Gürer from the Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Istanbul University.

Disclosure statement

The authors report no conflict of interest.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by Istanbul University BAP(Bilimsel Araştırma Projeleri Birimi) as a doctoral thesis project [FDK-2017-24601].