title: Polyphenolic Profile and Targeted Bioactivity of Methanolic Extracts from Mediterranean Ethnomedicinal Plants on Human Cancer Cell Lines.
abstract: The methanol extracts of the aerial part of four ethnomedicinal plants of Mediterranean region, two non-seed vascular plants, Equisetum hyemale L. and Phyllitis scolopendrium (L.) Newman, and two Spermatophyta, Juniperus communis L. (J. communis) and Cotinus coggygria Scop. (C. coggygria), were screened against four human cells lines (A549, MCF7, TK6 and U937). Only the extracts of J. communis and C. coggygria showed marked cytotoxic effects, affecting both cell morphology and growth. A dose-dependent effect of these two extracts was also observed on the cell cycle distribution. Incubation of all the cell lines in a medium containing J. communis extract determined a remarkable accumulation of cells in the G2/M phase, whereas the C. coggygria extract induced a significant increase in the percentage of G1 cells. The novelty of our findings stands on the observation that the two extracts, consistently, elicited coherent effects on the cell cycle in four cell lines, independently from their phenotype, as two of them have epithelial origin and grow adherent and two are lymphoblastoid and grow in suspension. Even the expression profiles of several proteins regulating cell cycle progression and cell death were affected by both extracts. LC-MS investigation of methanol extract of C. coggygria led to the identification of twelve flavonoids (compounds 1-11, 19) and eight polyphenols derivatives (12-18, 20), while in J. communis extract, eight flavonoids (21-28), a α-ionone glycoside (29) and a lignin (30) were found. Although many of these compounds have interesting individual biological activities, their natural blends seem to exert specific effects on the proliferation of cell lines either growing adherent or in suspension, suggesting potential use in fighting cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Naples "Federico II", Complesso di MS Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy. anpollio@unina.it.
authors.forename: Antonino
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pollio
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemical Sciences, University of Naples "Federico II", Complesso di MS Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy. armando.zarrelli@unina.it.
authors.forename: Armando
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Zarrelli
authors.affiliation: Consorzio Interuniversitario Sannio Tech, P.zza San G. Moscati 8, SS Appia km 256, 82030 Apollosa (BN), Italy. valeria.romanucci@unina.it.
authors.forename: Valeria
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Romanucci
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples "Federico II", 80131 Naples, Italy. alfredo.dimauro@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: Alfredo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Di Mauro
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples "Federico II", 80131 Naples, Italy. federica.barra@unina.it.
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Barra
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Naples "Federico II", Complesso di MS Angelo, 80126 Naples, Italy. gabriele.pinto@unina.it.
authors.forename: Gabriele
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.affiliation: Institute of Experimental Endocrinology and Oncology (IEOS), National Research Council (CNR), Via S. Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy. e.crescenzi@ieos.cnr.it.
authors.forename: Elvira
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Crescenzi
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples "Federico II", 80131 Naples, Italy. emanuelaroscetto@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Emanuela
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Roscetto
authors.affiliation: Department of Molecular Medicine and Medical Biotechnology, University of Naples "Federico II", 80131 Naples, Italy. palumbo@unina.it.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Palumbo
mesh_terms: D027926:Anacardiaceae / Q000737:chemistry; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D059565:G2 Phase Cell Cycle Checkpoints / Q000187:drug effects; D006801:Humans; D061986:MCF-7 Cells; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000235:genetics; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D059808:Polyphenols / Q000032:analysis / Q000737:chemistry / Q000494:pharmacology*; D012639:Seeds / Q000737:chemistry
chemical_list: D010936:Plant Extracts; D059808:Polyphenols
keywords: C. coggygria; J. communis; cancer cells; cell cycle; plant alcoholic extracts; polyphenols