INVESTIGATION OF POTENTIAL ANTI-CANCER AND ANTI-INFLAMMATORY EFFECTS OF DATURA STRAMONIUM ETHANOLIC EXTRACTS AGAINST SELECTED HUMAN CANCER CELL LINES

Abstract

In this study, the different biological properties particularly associated with anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory effects of the D. stramonium extracts from Edirne (Turkey) were examined for the first time. The ethanolic extracts of leaves (DSL) and seeds together with flowers (DSSF) from D. stramonium L. were used. The cytotoxic activity was determined using MTT assay. Analysis of the cell cycle distribution and the cell death were performed using flow cytometry. The levels of the VEGF and the pro inflammatory cytokines (IL-1 alpha, IL-6 and TNF-alpha) were determined by ELISA. DSL extract was more cytotoxic than DSSF extract. The DSL extract at 72 h exhibited selective cytotoxicity against HeLa cells with IC50 value of 265.7 mu g/mL and MCF-7 cells with IC50 value of 272.5 mu g/mL compared to healthy BEAS-2B cells with IC50 value of 622 mu g/mL. The effect of the DSL extract on the cell cycle progression changed according to the type of cell lines. The DSL extract at 800 mu g/mL was found to induce necrotic cell death in all the cancer cell lines tested. The VEGF secretion was determined to reduce by 36% in A549 cells and by 12% in PC-3 cells after treatment with 300 mu g/mL DSL extract. The levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (IL-6, TNF-alpha) secretion varied according to cell lines. The findings of the present study suggest that D. stramonium may be an important source for novel anti-cancer agents.