title: Pelargonium quercetorumAgnew induces apoptosis without PARP or cytokeratin 18 cleavage in non-small cell lung cancer cell lines.
abstract: Pelargoniumspecies have various uses in folk medicine as traditional remedies, and several of them have been screened for their biological activity, including anticancer.Pelargonium quercetorumAgnew (P. quercetorum) is traditionally used for its anthelminthic activity. However, little is known about its biological activity or its effect on cancer cells. The aim of the present study was to determine the cytotoxic activity ofP. quercetorumextract on lung cancer cell lines with varying properties. Following the analyses of its chemical composition, the cytotoxic activity was screened by the adenosine triphosphate viability test. M30-Apoptosense®and M65 EpiDeath®enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays were used to determine the cell death mode (apoptosis vs. necrosis). For apoptosis, additional methods, including Annexin-V-fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and Hoechst 33342 staining, were employed. The cleavage of poly (adenosine diphosphate-ribose) polymerase (PARP) was assayed by western blotting to further dissect the apoptosis mechanism. The methanol extract ofP. quercetorumcaused cytotoxic activity in a dose-dependent manner. The mode of cell death was apoptosis, as evidenced by the positive staining of the cells for Annexin-V-FITC and the presence of pyknotic nuclei. Notably, neither PARP cleavage nor cytokeratin 18 fragmentation were observed.P.quercetorumcaused cell death by an apoptosis mechanism that is slightly different from classical apoptosis. Therefore, futurein vivoexperiments are required for further understanding of the effect of this plant on cancer cells.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Arts, Uludag University, Bursa 16059, Turkey.
authors.forename: Nazlihan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Aztopal
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Arts, Uludag University, Bursa 16059, Turkey.
authors.forename: Buse
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Cevatemre
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Arts, Uludag University, Bursa 16059, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sarimahmut
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Arts, Uludag University, Bursa 16059, Turkey.
authors.forename: Ferda
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Ari
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Faculty of Science and Arts, Uludag University, Bursa 16059, Turkey.
authors.forename: Egemen
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Dere
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK.
authors.forename: Mustafa Zafer
authors.initials: MZ
authors.lastname: Ozel
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, Yuzuncu Yil University, Van 65080, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Firat
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, Uludag University, Bursa 16059, Turkey.
authors.forename: Engin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Ulukaya
keywords: Pelargonium quercetorum Agnew; apoptosis; cytotoxicity; herbal medicine; lung cancer