Screening revealed the strong cytotoxic activity of <i>Alchemilla smirnovii</i> and <i>Hypericum alpestre</i> ethanol extracts on different cancer cell lines

Mikayel Ginovyan; Svetlana Hovhannisyan; Hayarpi Javrushyan; Gohar Sevoyan; Zaruhi Karabekian; Narine Zakaryan; Naira Sahakyan; Nikolay Avtandilyan; Mikayel Ginovyan; Svetlana Hovhannisyan; Hayarpi Javrushyan; Gohar Sevoyan; Zaruhi Karabekian; Narine Zakaryan; Naira Sahakyan; Nikolay Avtandilyan

doi:10.3934/biophy.2023002

AIMS Biophysics

2023, Volume 10, Issue 1: 12-22. doi: 10.3934/biophy.2023002

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Screening revealed the strong cytotoxic activity of Alchemilla smirnovii and Hypericum alpestre ethanol extracts on different cancer cell lines

1.
Department of Biochemistry, Microbiology and Biotechnology; Research Institute of Biology Yerevan State University, 1 A. Manoogian Str., 0025 Yerevan, Armenia
2.
Orbeli Institute of Physiology, National Academy of Sciences, 22 Orbeli Bros. str. 0028 Yerevan, Armenia
3.
Department of Botany and Mycology, Yerevan State University, 1 A. Manoogian Str., 0025 Yerevan, Armenia

Received: 29 October 2022 Revised: 15 December 2022 Accepted: 16 December 2022 Published: 22 December 2022

Compounds of plant origin are considered promising alternative approaches in the development of medicines for the prevention and treatment of cancer. The large diversity of herbal species still requires careful exploration as a source for new anticancer compounds. The goal of the study was to screen different herbal extracts traditionally used in Armenian folk medicine for their cytotoxic effect against some cancer cell lines, and to find the prospective plant species among them. The cytotoxicity of the plant ethanol extracts was evaluated with MTT test against HeLa (human cervical carcinoma) and A549 (human lung adenocarcinoma) cells. Antioxidant properties were assessed with DPPH free radical scavenging assay. Five of the tested ten herbal extracts exhibited significant growth-inhibiting activity on HeLa cells. Moreover, Alchemilla smirnovii and Hypericum alpestre extracts also showed potent cytotoxicity on human lung adenocarcinoma cells. These two plants possessed high antiradical activity as well. Their DPPH stoichiometric values were 0.4234 and 0.14437 respectively, meaning that 1 µg of plant extract brought the reduction of DPPH equal to the respective stoichiometric values in µg. Thus, A. smirnovii and H. alpestre extracts expressed themselves as potent cytotoxic and antioxidant agents and could have promising anticancer potential. Further evaluation of their in vivo anticancer properties has much interest.
- herbal extract,
- Armenian flora,
- cytotoxicity,
- antiradical activity,
- Inula helenium
Citation: Mikayel Ginovyan, Svetlana Hovhannisyan, Hayarpi Javrushyan, Gohar Sevoyan, Zaruhi Karabekian, Narine Zakaryan, Naira Sahakyan, Nikolay Avtandilyan. Screening revealed the strong cytotoxic activity of Alchemilla smirnovii and Hypericum alpestre ethanol extracts on different cancer cell lines[J]. AIMS Biophysics, 2023, 10(1): 12-22. doi: 10.3934/biophy.2023002

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Abstract

Compounds of plant origin are considered promising alternative approaches in the development of medicines for the prevention and treatment of cancer. The large diversity of herbal species still requires careful exploration as a source for new anticancer compounds. The goal of the study was to screen different herbal extracts traditionally used in Armenian folk medicine for their cytotoxic effect against some cancer cell lines, and to find the prospective plant species among them. The cytotoxicity of the plant ethanol extracts was evaluated with MTT test against HeLa (human cervical carcinoma) and A549 (human lung adenocarcinoma) cells. Antioxidant properties were assessed with DPPH free radical scavenging assay. Five of the tested ten herbal extracts exhibited significant growth-inhibiting activity on HeLa cells. Moreover, Alchemilla smirnovii and Hypericum alpestre extracts also showed potent cytotoxicity on human lung adenocarcinoma cells. These two plants possessed high antiradical activity as well. Their DPPH stoichiometric values were 0.4234 and 0.14437 respectively, meaning that 1 µg of plant extract brought the reduction of DPPH equal to the respective stoichiometric values in µg. Thus, A. smirnovii and H. alpestre extracts expressed themselves as potent cytotoxic and antioxidant agents and could have promising anticancer potential. Further evaluation of their in vivo anticancer properties has much interest.

Abbreviations

DMEM

Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium

DPPH

1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl

Dry weight

FBS

Fetal bovine serum

GAE

Gallic acid equivalent

MTT

3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide

PBS

Phosphate-buffered saline

ASI

Accumulated survival index

ROS

Reactive oxygen species

NF-κB

Nuclear factor kappa B

MAPK

Mitogen-activated protein kinase

Acknowledgments

This work was supported by the Science Committee of RA, in the frames of the research project № 20TTSG-1F004 as well as Basic support from Science Committee of RA, Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of RA.

Conflict of interest

The authors declare no conflict of interest.

Author contributions

All authors contributed to the study's conception and design. GS, MG, NA, HJ, SH, NZ and NS carried out the investigations and analyzed the outcomes. NZ identified plant samples. MG and NS wrote the manuscript. MG, NA, ZK and NS directed the experiments, corrected, and edited the manuscript. All authors revised and accepted the final version of the manuscript.

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