Anticancer effect of different extracts of Cynanchum acutum L. seeds on cancer cell lines

Background: Cynanchum acutum L. is a perennial medicinal herb, used for several traditional medicine purposes in Egypt and around the world. Objective: The anticancer effects of ether, chloroform subfraction, and aqueous extracts of C. acutum seeds were investigated. Materials and Methods: C. acutum seeds were extracted by ether, chloroform, and aqueous. Then, all extracts were subjected to gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) to determine alkaloids and other bioactive compounds. Furthermore, anticancer effects on malignant cell lines as well as normal cells were evaluated using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay. Results: GC/MS analysis of the different extracts of C. acutum seeds revealed different compounds of alkane hydrocarbons, fatty acids, sterols, terpenoids, flavonoids, and alkaloids. The significant components of unsaturated fatty acids were linoleic acid (56.71%) in the ether extract and oleic acid (6.59%) in the chloroform extract, whereas the major saturated fatty acid was palmitic acid (3.51%) in the ether extract. Furthermore, the anticancer effects of the three extracts of the plant seeds on all tested cancer cell lines were minor. However, the higher anticancer effects were observed on lung (A549) and breast (MCF-7) cancers by water and ether extracts, respectively, as compared to positive control. Furthermore, both extracts showed low cytotoxicity toward normal cell line (WI-38) comparing to a positive control. Conclusion: Aqueous and ether extracts of C. acutum L. seeds could be considered as potential chemotherapeutic agents in lung and breast cancer treatments, respectively, with reduced systemic adverse effects.