The anticancer activity of Saussurea costus roots extract against HRT-18 colon cancer cell
Abstract
Colon cancer is considered one of the main causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide, and the search for new therapeutic agents with selective toxicity remains a priority. The present study aimed to evaluate the cytotoxic activity and molecular mechanisms of the Saus surea costus roots extract against the human colon cancer cell line HRT-18 compared with normal fibroblast cells NHF. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC 50 ) was determined using the MTT assay after 48 hours of treatment, and the selectivity index (SI) was calculated. Additionally, the pattern of cell death was assessed using quantitative and qualitative analys e s of Live/Dead and Acridine Orange/Ethidium Bromide (AO/EB) assays, along with the evaluation of DNA damage. The Saussurea costus roots extract showed dose-dependent toxicity against HRT-18 cells with an IC 50 value of 168.6 μg/mL, with a high selectivity index toward cancer cells ( 1.61 ), compared with normal NHF cells. Quantit a tive analysis of the Live/Dead assay confirmed a highly significant decrease in the viability of treated cells. Furthermore , AO/EB images revealed distinctive morphological changes of apoptosis, including chromatin condensation and formation of apoptotic bo dies. I n addition to the evidence of DNA damage, the extract exerted a strong inhibitory effect on HRT-18 cell migration in the wound healing assay, causing an expansion of the scratch area by -58.7% compared with its contraction by +22.5% in the control group, indicating that it has dual cytotoxic and mi gration-inhibiting activity . The results collectively indicate that Saussurea costus roots extract has a promising anticancer activity against HRT-18 cells and acts by inducing programmed cell death accompanied by DNA damage while maintaining high selectivity toward cancer cells. These data support conducting further studies to evaluate its potential dev elopment as a therapeutic agent. T he extract has promising efficacy as an anti-colon cancer agent by inducing apoptosis and inhibiting the invasive property of cells.References
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