Screening of Some Rare and Endemic Plants Growing in Iran for Their Cytotoxic Effects on Cancer Cell Lines

Document Type : Research Paper

Authors

1 Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Biotechnology Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

2 Department of Biology, Yazd University, Yazd, Iran

3 Department of Traditional Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

4 Department of Biology, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran

5 Targeted Drug Delivery Research Center, Pharmaceutical Technology Institute, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

6 Medical Toxicology Research Center, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

Abstract

Khorasan Razavi Province is one of the most significant regions of plant diversity of the flora of Iran. Numerous rare indigenous plant species are grown in this province, which would be suitable potential candidates for assessing cytotoxic activities and apoptosis induction. In this study, we intended to explore the cytotoxic and apoptotic properties of the methanol extract of the root and aerial parts of 10 rare and endemic plants of Khorasan Razavi Province, namely Dorema kopetdaghense, Chaerophyllum khorassanicum, Seseli staurophyllum, Seseli transcaucasicum, Haplophyllum obtusifolium, Crinitaria grimmii, Handelia trichophylla, Rheum turkestanicum, Phlomoides boissieriana., and P. molucelloides, on PC-3, MCF-7, MDA, and B16F10 cancer cells using resazurin and flow cytometry assays. 100 μg/ml of F.kopetdagi root extract on PC3 (p <0.001), MCF-7 (p <0.001), MDA (p <0.001), B16F10 (p <0.001) cells significantly decreased cell viability. 100 μg/ml of H. obtusifolium root extract on PC3 (p <0.001), MCF-7 (p <0.001), MDA (p <0.05), B16F10 (p <0.001) cells, and 50 μg/ml of H. obtusifolium root extract on MCF-7 (p <0.01), B16F10 (p <0.001) exhibited cytotoxic effects. The histogram obtained from the PI staining and flow cytometry indicated induction of apoptosis by 25 and 50 μg/ml F.kopetdagi and H. obtusifolium root extracts in the PC3 and MCF-7 cell lines. The root extracts of F.kopetdagi and H. obtusifolium had significant cytotoxic effects and could induce apoptosis. It suggests that plants with low IC50 values are considered potent cytotoxic species for further evaluation as candidate anti-cancer agents.

Keywords

Main Subjects

References

  1. Stjernswärd J., Colleau S.M., Ventafridda V. The World Health Organization Cancer Pain and Palliative Care Program. Past, present, and future. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. 1996;12(2):65-72.
  2. Siegel R.L., Miller K.D., Fuchs H.E., Jemal A. Cancer statistics. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 2022;72(1):7-33.
  3. Sung H., Ferlay J., Siegel R.L., Laversanne M., Soerjomataram I., Jemal A., et al. Global Cancer Statistics 2020: GLOBOCAN estimates of incidence and mortality worldwide for 36 cancers in 185 countries. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 2021;71(3):209-249.
  4. Simstein R., Burow M., Parker A., Weldon C., Beckman B. Apoptosis, chemoresistance, and breast cancer: insights from the MCF-7 cell model system. Experimental Biology and Medicine. 2003;228(9):995-1003.
  5. Song H., Liu B., Dong B., Xu J., Zhou H., Na S., et al. Exosome-Based Delivery of Natural Products in Cancer Therapy. Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology. 2021;9:650426.
  6. Barnes P.M., Bloom B., Nahin R.L. Complementary and alternative medicine use among adults and children: United States, 2007. National Health Statistics Reports. 2008;12:1-23.
  7. Paknejad M.S., Motaharifard M.S., Barimani S., Kabiri P., Karimi M. Traditional, complementary and alternative medicine in children constipation: a systematic review. DARU Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 2019;27(2):811-826.
  8. Naghizadeh A., Hamzeheian D., Akbari S., Mohammadi F., Otoufat T., Asgari S., et al. UNaProd: A Universal Natural Product Database for Materia Medica of Iranian Traditional Medicine. Evidence‐Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2020;2020:3690781.
  9. Ghannadi A.R., Zolfaghari B., Shamashian S. Necessity, Importance, and Applications of Traditional Medicine Knowledge in Different Nations. Journal of Islamic and Iranian Traditional Medicine. 2011;2(2):161-76.
  10. Mousavi S.H., Motaez M., Zamiri-Akhlaghi A., Emami S.A., Tayarani-Najaran Z. In-vitro Evaluation of Cytotoxic and Apoptogenic Properties of Sophora Pachycarpa. Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research. 2014;13(2):665-673.
  11. Emami S.A., Kheshami S., Ramazani E., Akaberi M., Iranshahy M., Kazemi S.M., et al. Cytotoxic activity of thirteen endemic and rare plants from Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province in Iran. Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research. 2019;18(4):1912.
  12. Behzad S., Pirani A., Mosaddegh M. Cytotoxic activity of some medicinal plants from Hamedan district of Iran. Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research. 2014;13(Suppl):199.
  13. Soheili V., Asili J., Davoodi J., Soleimanpour S., Karimi G., Taghizadeh S.F., et al. Screening of some Iranian medicinal plants for anti-tuberculosis, anti-bacterial, and cytotoxic activities. South African Journal of Botany. 2023;154:260-264.
  14. Zamani S., Emami S.A., Iranshahi M., Rabe S.Z., Mahmoudi M. Sesquiterpene fractions of Artemisia plants as potent inhibitors of inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclooxygenase-2 expression. Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences. 2019;22(7):774-780.
  15. Tayarani-Najaran Z., Makki F-S., Alamolhodaei N-S., Mojarrab M., Emami S.A. Cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of different extracts of Artemisia biennis Willd. on K562 and HL-60 cell lines. Iranian Journal of Basic Medical Sciences. 2017;20(2):166-171.
  16. Tayarani-Najaran Z., Sareban M., Gholami A., Emami S.A., Mojarrab M. Cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of different extracts of Artemisia turanica Krasch. on K562 and HL-60 cell lines. Scientific World Journal. 2013;2013:628073.
  17. Ndao D.H., Ladas E.J., Bao Y.Y., Cheng B., Nees S.N., Levine J.M., et al. Use of Complementary and Alternative Medicine Among Children, Adolescent, and Young Adult Cancer Survivors: A Survey Study. Journal of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology. 2013;35(4):281-288.
  18. Tayarani-Najaran Z., Mousavi S., Asili J,. Emami S. Growth-inhibitory effect of Scutellaria lindbergii in human cancer cell lines. Food and Chemical Toxicology. 2010;48(2):599-604.
  19. Kumar S., Jawaid T., Dubey S.D. Therapeutic Plants of Ayurveda; A Review on Anticancer. Pharmacognosy Journal. 2011;3(23):1-11.
  20. Moller A.C., Parra C., Said B., Werner E., Flores S., Villena J., et al. Antioxidant and Anti-Proliferative Activity of Essential Oil and Main Components from Leaves of Aloysia polystachya Harvested in Central Chile. Molecules. 2021;26(1):131.
  21. Mazumder K., Biswas B., Raja I.M., Fukase K. A Review of Cytotoxic Plants of the Indian Subcontinent and a Broad-Spectrum Analysis of Their Bioactive Compounds. Molecules. 2020;25(8):1904.
  22. Eskandani M., Dadizadeh E., Hamishehkar H., Nazemiyeh H., Barar J. Geno/cytotoxicty and Apoptotic Properties of Phenolic Compounds from the Seeds of Dorema Glabrum Fisch. C.A. Bioimpacts. 2014;4(4):191-198.
  23. Rajani M., Saxena N., Ravishankara M.N, Desai N., Padh H. Evaluation of the Antimicrobial Activity of Ammoniacum Gum from Dorema ammoniacum. Pharmaceutical Biology. 2002;40(7):534-541.
  24. Ghasemi F., Tamadon H., Hosseinmardi N., Janahmadi M. Effects of Dorema ammoniacum Gum on Neuronal Epileptiform Activity-Induced by Pentylenetetrazole. Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research. 2018;17(2):735-742.
  25. Zamani Taghizadeh Rabe S., Iranshahi M., Rastin M., Zamani Taghizadeh Rabe S., Mahmoudi M. Anti-inflammatory effect of new kopetdaghins A, C and E from Dorema kopetdaghense. Food and Agricultural Immunology. 2015;26(3):430-439.
  26. Varamini P., Doroudchi M., Mohagheghzadeh A., Soltani M., Ghaderi A. Cytotoxic evaluation of four haplophyllum. species with various tumor cell lines. Pharmaceutical Biology. 2007;45(4):299-302.
  27. Al-Muniri R.M.S., Hossain M.A. Evaluation of antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of different extracts of folk medicinal plant Hapllophyllum tuberculatum. Egyptian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences. 2017;4(2):101-106.
  28. Shiezadeh F., Mousavi S.H., Amiri M.S., Iranshahi M., Tayarani-Najaran Z., Karimi G. Cytotoxic and apoptotic potential of Rheum turkestanicum Janisch root extract on human cancer and normal cells. Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research. 2013;12(4):811-819.
  29. Asgharian P., Delazar A., Lotfipour F., Asnaashari S. Bioactive Properties of Eremostachys macrophylla Montbr. & Auch. Rhizomes Growing in Iran. Pharmaceutical Sciences. 2017;23(3):238-243.
  30. Asnaashari S., Heshmati Afshar F., Ebrahimi A., Bamdad Moghaddam S., Delazar A. In vitro antimalarial activity of different extracts of Eremostachys macrophylla Montbr. & Auch. Bioimpacts. 2015;5(3):135-140.
  31. Rajabian A., Sadeghnia H-R., Moradzadeh M., Hosseini A. Rheum turkestanicum reduces glutamate toxicity in PC12 and N2a cell lines. Folia Neuropathologica. 2018;56(4):354-361.
  32. Hosseini A., Rajabian A. Protective effect of Rheum turkestanikum root against doxorubicin-induced toxicity in H9c2 cells. Revista Brasileira de Farmacognosia. 2016;26(3):347-351.
Journal of Medicinal plants and By-products
Volume 15, Issue 4
July and August 2026
Pages 499-504

Files

Share

How to cite

Statistics