Antiproliferative Effects of Pancratium Maritimum Extracts on Normal and Cancerous Cells

Background Plants are an important natural source of compounds used in cancer therapy. Pancratium maritimum contains potential anti-cancer agents such as alkaloids. In this study, we investigated the anti-proliferative effects of P. maritimum extracts on MDA-MB-231 human epithelial adenocarcinoma cell line and on normal lymphocytes in vitro. Methods Leaves, flowers, roots, and bulbs of P. maritimum were collected and their contents were extracted and diluted to different concentrations that were applied on MDA-MB-231 cells and normal human lymphocytes cell in vitro for different intervals. Cells viability, proliferation, cell cycle distribution, apoptosis, and growth were evaluated by flow cytometry and microscopy. Parametric unpaired t-test was used to compare effects of plant extracts on treated cell cultures with untreated control cell cultures. IC50 was also calculated. Results P. maritimum extract had profound effects on MDA-MB-321 cells. It inhibited cell proliferation in a dose- and time-dependent manner. The IC50 values were 0.039, 0.035, and 0.026 mg/ml after 48, 72, and 96 hours of treatment with 0.1 mg/ml concentration of bulb extract, respectively. Those values were 0.051 and 0.03 mg/ml after 72 and 96 hours for root extract, respectively, and 0.048 mg/ml after 96 hours for flower extract. There were no significant effects of P. maritimum bulb extracts on normal lymphocytes proliferation. Conclusion P. maritimum extract has anti-proliferative effects on MDA-MB-231 cell line in vitro. The effects imply the involvement of mechanisms that inhibits cell growth and arresting cells at S and G2/M phases. Cyclin B1, Bcl-2, and Ki67 expression was also affected.