Myrcene Exhibits Antitumor Activity Against Lung Cancer Cells by Inducing Oxidative Stress and Apoptosis Mechanisms

Abstract

Myrcene, a natural olefinic hydrocarbon, possesses anti-inflammatory, analgesic, antibiotic, and antimutagenic properties, but its anticancer effect has not yet been elucidated. Hence, the present study was framed to investigate the molecular mechanism by which myrcene mediates the anticancer activity of A549 lung adenocarcinoma cells. In vitro, A549 lung cancer cells were cultured either with or without myrcene, and the effects on cellular metabolic activity, levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial integrity, deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) damage, and activity of caspases were analyzed. The study demonstrated that compared with control cells, myrcene induces cell death in a dose-dependent manner while inducing ROS levels. Further experiments revealed that the metabolic activity of the A549 lung adenocarcinoma cells was diminished with increased DNA damage and altered cellular integrity. In addition, increased activity of caspase-3 was also evidenced with reduced mitochondrial membrane potential synthesis in the myrcene-treated cells, which demonstrate that lung cancer cells experience signs of toxicity during myrcene treatment through the activation of the apoptosis mechanism via mitochondria-mediated cell death signaling and induction of oxidative stress. The results provide the first report on the evidence of anticancer activity and the possibility of a new drug that could be used for the treatment of lung cancer.