Antioxidant, Anti-Proliferative Activity and Chemical Fingerprinting of <i>Centaurea calcitrapa</i> against Breast Cancer Cells and Molecular Docking of Caspase-3
Mourad A. M. Aboul-Soud,
Hanane Ennaji,
Ashok Kumar,
Mohammad A. Alfhili,
Ahmed Bari,
Maqusood Ahamed,
Mohamed Chebaibi,
Mohammed Bourhia,
Farid Khallouki,
Khalid M. Alghamdi,
John P. Giesy
Affiliations
Mourad A. M. Aboul-Soud
Chair of Medical and Molecular Genetics Research, Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 10219, Riyadh 11433, Saudi Arabia
Hanane Ennaji
Laboratory of Chemistry-Biochemistry, Environment, Nutrition and Health, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Hassan II University of Casablanca, Casablanca B.P. 5696, Morocco
Ashok Kumar
Vitiligo Research Chair, Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Mohammad A. Alfhili
Chair of Medical and Molecular Genetics Research, Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Saud University, P.O. Box 10219, Riyadh 11433, Saudi Arabia
Ahmed Bari
Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, P.O. Box 2457, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Maqusood Ahamed
King Abdullah Institute for Nanotechnology, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
Mohamed Chebaibi
Biomedical and Translational Research Laboratory, Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, University of Sidi Mohamed Ben Abdellah, BP 1893, Km 22, Road of Sidi Harazem, Fez B.F. 1893, Morocco
Mohammed Bourhia
Higher Institute of Nursing Professions and Technical Health, Laayoune 70000, Morocco
Farid Khallouki
Biology Department, FTSE, Moulay Ismail University of Meknes, BP 609, Errachidia 52000, Morocco
Khalid M. Alghamdi
Vitiligo Research Chair, Department of Dermatology, College of Medicine, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia
John P. Giesy
Toxicology Centre, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK S7N 5B3, Canada
Centaurea calcitrapa has been intensively utilized in ethnomedicinal practices as a natural therapeutic recipe to cure various ailments. The current study aimed to chemically characterize ethanolic extract of C. calcitrapa (EECC) aerial parts (leaves and shoots) by use of gas chromatography-mass spectrometry analyses (GC-MS) and investigate its antioxidant and in vitro anticancer activities, elucidating the underlying molecular mechanism by use of flow cytometry-based fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS) and conducting in silico assessment of binding inhibitory activities of EECC major compounds docked to caspase-3. CG-MS profiling of EECC identified a total of 26 major flavonoids and polyphenolic compounds. DPPH and ABTS assays revealed that EECC exhibits potent antioxidant activity comparable to standard reducing agents. Results of the proliferation assay revealed that EECC exhibit potent, dose-dependent cytotoxic activities against triple-positive (MCF-7) and triple-negative (MDA-MB-231) breast cancer cell models, with IC50 values of 1.3 × 102 and 8.7 × 101 µg/mL, respectively. The observed cytotoxic effect was specific to studied cancer cells since EECC exhibited minimal (~C. calcitrapa are therefore warranted against breast as well as other human cancer cell models.
