Revealing the metabolic mechanism of dandelion extract against A549 cells using UPLC-QTOF MS

Dandelion extract exhibits potential anticancer activity and is expected to be a new type of natural anticancer drug. However, the effect mechanism of dandelion extract to lung cancer cells is still unclear. Here, untargeted metabolomics approach based on LC-MS was used to characterize the metabolic responses of A549 cells to dandelion extract exposure and to provide new clues for the antitumor mechanism of dandelion extract from the metabolomics perspective. A total of 16 differentially expressed and time-related metabolites were identified between dandelion extract exposure and control groups. The perturbed metabolic pathways of A549 cells after dandelion extract exposure mainly include the glycerophospholipid metabolism and purine metabolism. These results concluded that dandelion extract may exert anticancer activity by affecting malignant proliferation, disturbing the stability of cell membrane structure, reducing the adhesion of tumor cells to extracellular matrix and fibronectin, and finally inducing tumor cell death.