In Vitro Evaluation of Chemically Analyzed <i>Hypericum Triquetrifolium</i> Extract Efficacy in Apoptosis Induction and Cell Cycle Arrest of the HCT-116 Colon Cancer Cell Line

• Main Authors: Shahinaz Mahajna, Sleman Kadan, Zipora Tietel, Bashar Saad, Said Khasib, Aziz Tumeh, Doron Ginsberg, Hilal Zaid
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI AG 2019-11-01
• Series: Molecules
• Subjects: apoptosis; colon cancer; cell cycle; phytochemicals; <i>hypericum triquetrifolium</i>
• Online Access: https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/24/22/4139

Naturally derived drugs and plant-based products are attractive commodities that are being explored for cancer treatment. This in vitro study aimed to investigate the role of <i>Hypericum triquetrifolium</i> (50% ethanol: 50% water) extract (HTE) treatment on apoptosis, cell cycle modulation, and cell cycle arrest in human colon cancer cell line (HCT-116). HTE induced cell death via an apoptotic process, as assayed by an Annexin V-Cy3 assay. Exposing HCT-116 cells to 0.064, 0.125, 0.25, and 0.5 mg/mL of HTE for 24 h led to 50 &#177; 9%, 71.6 &#177; 8%, 85 &#177; 5%, and 96 &#177; 1.5% apoptotic cells, respectively. HCT-116 cells treated with 0.25 and 0.5 mg/mL HTE for 3 h resulted in 38.9 &#177; 1.5% and 57.2 &#177; 3% cleavage of caspase-3-specific substrate, respectively. RT-PCR analysis revealed that the HTE extract had no effect on mRNA levels of Apaf-1 and NOXA. Moreover, the addition of 0.125 mg/mL and 0.25 mg/mL HTE for 24 h was clearly shown to attenuate the cell cycle progression machinery in HCT-116 cells. GC/MS analysis of the extract identified 21 phytochemicals that are known as apoptosis inducers and cell cycle arrest agents. All the compounds detected are novel in <i>H. triquetrifolium</i>. These results suggest that HTE-induced apoptosis of human colon cells is mediated primarily through the caspase-dependent pathway. Thus, HTE appears to be a potent therapeutic agent for colon cancer treatment.