Sevde Nur BİLTEKİN KALELİ, Hikmet Gülben GÜÇ, Fatma TOSUN
Journal of Research in Pharmacy - 2026;30(4):1055-1063
This study systematically evaluated the in vitro cytotoxic potential of four plant extracts from the Apiaceae family -Artedia squamata L., Astrantia maxima Pall. subsp. maxima, Heracleum platytaenium Boiss., and Selinum alatum (M.Bieb.) Poir. -against a panel of human carcinoma cell lines (A549, PC3, MCF7, and U87MG), providing novel insights into the dynamics of oncogenic progression through advanced analyses. Notably, this research represents the first comprehensive report on the anti-proliferative activities of these specific extracts against both malignant and non-malignant human cell lines. Our findings, obtained via the MTT assay using colchicine as a positive control, reveal that H. platytaenium and S. alatum are highly potent cytotoxic agents, exhibiting remarkably low IC50 values. Crucially, while the positive control colchicine proved highly toxic to healthy cells (IC50 = 31.27 +/- 1.03 µg/mL), all investigated extracts demonstrated a favorable cytocompatibility profile, showing no significant cytotoxicity against the non-malignant human embryonic kidney cell line (HEK293, IC50 > 100 µg/mL). The high selectivity index of these extracts, evidenced by their robust inhibition of malignant cells coupled with their biocompatibility with normal tissues, underscores their pharmacological significance. Furthermore, the significant inhibitory effects of these potent extracts on the MAPK pathway -a master regulator of carcinogenesis -alongside their modulation of Caspase-3 activity, constitute substantial data newly contributed to the literature. These results identify the studied taxa, particularly H. platytaenium, as promising and safe natural candidates for the discovery of novel anticancer therapeutics, warranting further investigation.
