Anacyclus Pyrethrum Extract Exerts Anticancer Activities on the Human Colorectal Cancer Cell Line (HCT) by Targeting Apoptosis, Metastasis and Cell Cycle Arrest

Introduction: Colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer mortality in the USA. There are a number of medicinal plants triggering apoptosis response in cancer cells, thus have a therapeutic potential. On the other hand, due to traditional uses and availability of Anacyclus pyrethrum extract, we decided to evaluate the efficacy of this medicinal herb on human colorectal cancer cell line (HCT). Materials and Methods: In the present study, the cytotoxic effects of Anacyclus pyrethrum extract were assessed by 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, and trypan blue viability dye. Then, flow cytometry assay was exploited to measure cell death and apoptosis stage. The scratch test was exploited to assess the effect of Anacyclus pyrethrum on the migration of cancer cells. The expression levels of Caspase 3, Bcl-2, MMP1, and Vimentin genes were quantified by real-time PCR. Finally, cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry. Results: MTT assay showed that Anacyclus pyrethrum extract significantly inhibited the cell growth. According to the flow cytometry assay result, the herbal extract was able to induce apoptosis in colorectal cancer cells. Our findings also demonstrated that the plant extract substantially increases the caspase 3 mRNA expression, while decreases Bcl-2, MMP1, and Vimentin. Cell cycle arrest occurred in G1 stage, due to the results of flow cytometry. Conclusion: These results indicate that Anacyclus pyrethrum extract can successfully induce apoptosis in HCT cells. Therefore, it could be used as a novel therapeutic candidate for colorectal cancer treatment. © 2016, Springer Science+Business Media New York.