Induction of apoptosis by ethanolic extract of leaf of Dillenia pentagyna Roxb. in A549 cells via NF-κB pathway

Abstract

BackgroundA large number of populations worldwide still rely on crude extracts of different parts of medicinal plants. Different parts of Dillenia pentagyna has long been used in India for the treatment of different disorders. ObjectiveCytotoxic and apoptosis-inducing capability of ethanolic extract of leaves of Dillenia pentagyna (EELDP) were studied on various human cancer cell lines. MethodsCell viability and morphology, nuclear fragmentation, caspase-3 activation, ratio of Bax/Bcl2, NF-κB expression were measured in three human cancer cells A549, HeLa and U2OS after treatment with EELDP. Further, mitochondrial membrane potential, cell cycle analysis, ROS generation were done in A549 cells. ResultsEELDP dose-dependently increased cell cytotoxicity to all the human cancer cells but showed nontoxic to the normal lung cell L-132. EELDP (0–0.6 mg/ml) significantly induced the intrinsic pathway of apoptosis via fall in mitochondrial membrane potential leading to an increase in Bax to Bcl2 ratio, the release of cytochrome-c, caspase-3 activation, and nuclear fragmentation. EELDP significantly reduced NF-κB expression. However, combined EELDP with Bay11–7082 (NF-κB inhibitor) treatment significantly enhanced Bax to Bcl2 ratio and caspase-3 activation. ConclusionThis data implicates that EELDP has a strong potential to kill various aggressive human cancer cells by inducing apoptosis via NF- κB pathway.