In Vitro Anticancer Activity and Oxidative Stress Biomarkers Status Determined by <i>Usnea barbata</i> (L.) F.H. Wigg. Dry Extracts
Violeta Popovici,
Laura Bucur,
Gabriela Vochita,
Daniela Gherghel,
Cosmin Teodor Mihai,
Dan Rambu,
Suzana Ioana Calcan,
Teodor Costache,
Iulia Elena Cucolea,
Elena Matei,
Florin Ciprian Badea,
Aureliana Caraiane,
Victoria Badea
Affiliations
Violeta Popovici
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Ovidius University of Constanta, 7 Ilarie Voronca Street, 900684 Constanta, Romania
Laura Bucur
Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, Ovidius University of Constanta, 6 Capitan Al. Serbanescu Street, 900001 Constanta, Romania
Gabriela Vochita
NIRDBS, Institute of Biological Research Iasi, 47 Lascar Catargi Street, 700107 Iasi, Romania
Daniela Gherghel
NIRDBS, Institute of Biological Research Iasi, 47 Lascar Catargi Street, 700107 Iasi, Romania
Cosmin Teodor Mihai
NIRDBS, Institute of Biological Research Iasi, 47 Lascar Catargi Street, 700107 Iasi, Romania
Dan Rambu
Research Center for Instrumental Analysis SCIENT, 1E Petre Ispirescu Street, 077167 Tancabesti, Ilfov, Romania
Suzana Ioana Calcan
Research Center for Instrumental Analysis SCIENT, 1E Petre Ispirescu Street, 077167 Tancabesti, Ilfov, Romania
Teodor Costache
Research Center for Instrumental Analysis SCIENT, 1E Petre Ispirescu Street, 077167 Tancabesti, Ilfov, Romania
Iulia Elena Cucolea
Research Center for Instrumental Analysis SCIENT, 1E Petre Ispirescu Street, 077167 Tancabesti, Ilfov, Romania
Elena Matei
Center for Research and Development of the Morphological and Genetic Studies of Malignant Pathology, Ovidius University of Constanta, CEDMOG, 145 Tomis Blvd., 900591 Constanta, Romania
Florin Ciprian Badea
Department of Oral Rehabilitation, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Ovidius University of Constanta, 7 Ilarie Voronca Street, 900684 Constanta, Romania
Aureliana Caraiane
Department of Oral Rehabilitation, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Ovidius University of Constanta, 7 Ilarie Voronca Street, 900684 Constanta, Romania
Victoria Badea
Department of Microbiology and Immunology, Faculty of Dental Medicine, Ovidius University of Constanta, 7 Ilarie Voronca Street, 900684 Constanta, Romania
Lichens represent an important resource for common traditional medicines due to their numerous metabolites that can exert diverse pharmacological activities including anticancer effects. To find new anticancer compounds with fewer side effects and low tumor resistance, a bioprospective study of Usnea barbata (L.) F.H. Wigg. (U. barbata), a lichen from the Călimani Mountains (Suceava county, Romania) was performed. The aim of this research was to investigate the anticancer potential, morphologic changes, wound healing property, clonogenesis, and oxidative stress biomarker status of four extracts of U. barbata in different solvents (methanol, ethanol, acetone, and ethyl acetate), and also of usnic acid (UA) as a positive control on the CAL-27 (ATCC® CRL-2095™) oral squamous carcinoma (OSCC) cell line and V79 (ATCC® CCL-93™) lung fibroblasts as normal cells. Using the MTT assay and according to IC50 values, it was found that the most potent anticancer property was displayed by acetone and ethyl acetate extracts. All U. barbata extracts determined morphological modifications (losing adhesion capacity, membrane shrinkage, formation of abnormal cellular wrinkles, and vacuolization) with higher intensity in tumor cells than in normal ones. The most intense anti-migration effect was established in the acetone extract treatment. The clonogenic assay showed that some U. barbata extracts decreased the ability of cancer cells to form colonies compared to untreated cells, suggesting a potential anti-tumorigenic property of the tested extracts. Therefore, all the U. barbata extracts manifest anticancer activity of different intensity, based, at least partially, on an imbalance in antioxidant defense mechanisms, causing oxidative stress.
