Chemical Composition, Antioxidant Capacity, and Anticancerous Effects against Human Lung Cancer Cells of a Terpenoid-Rich Fraction of Inula viscosa - Article Summary

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Miles

Inula viscosa, used in traditional Mediterranean and Middle Eastern medicine, shows anticancer activity in several cancer models, but its effects on lung cancer remain insufficiently studied. This work tested methanolic and aqueous extracts and a terpenoid-rich fraction from leaves and stems against human lung cancer A549 cells. The methanolic extract of leaves reduced A549 viability and also affected other cancer cell lines while sparing normal fibroblasts. The terpenoid-rich fraction reduced viability, migration, and shifted protein markers toward intrinsic apoptosis and reduced proliferation, supported by GC-MS and antioxidant assays.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages25

Reading Time1 h 3 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Plant extracts and terpenoid-rich fraction

Cell viability and cytotoxic effects

Antioxidant and phytochemical characterization

Molecular mechanisms of anticancer activity

biology Article Chemical Composition, Antioxidant Capacity, and Anticancerous Effects against Human Lung Cancer Cells of a Terpenoid-Rich Fraction of Inula viscosa Fatiha Seglab 1, Mazen Abou Assali 2, Thoraya AlYafei 2, Hassan Hassan 2, Diana C. G. A. Pinto 3, Safaa Baydoun 4, Asmaa A. Al Thani 1 and Abdullah A. Shaito 1,5, * Citation: Seglab, F.; Abou Assali, M.; AlYafei, T.; Hassan, H.; Pinto, D.C.G.A.; Baydoun, S.; Al Thani, A.A.; Shaito, A.A. Chemical Composition, Antioxidant Capacity, and Anticancerous Effects against Human Lung Cancer Cells of a Terpenoid-Rich Fraction of Inula viscosa. Biology 2024, 13, 687. [https://](https://)[ ](https://)[doi.org/10.3390/biology13090687](doi.org/10.3390/biology13090687) Academic Editor: Armando Varela-Ramirez Received: 6 July 2024 Revised: 20 August 2024 Accepted: 31 August 2024 Published: 2 September 2024 Copyright: © 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license ([https://](https://)[ ](https://)[creativecommons.org/licenses/by/](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[ ](creativecommons.org/licenses/by/)[4.0/](4.0/)) . 1 Biomedical Research Center, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar 2 Environmental Science Center, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar 3 LAQV-REQUIMTE & Department of Chemistry, University of Aveiro, Campus de Santiago, 3810-193 Aveiro, Portugal; [diana@ua.pt](diana@ua.pt) 4 Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Beirut Arab University, Beirut P.O. Box 11-5020, Lebanon 5 Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Health Sciences and Basic Medical Sciences, College of Medicine, Qatar University, Doha P.O. Box 2713, Qatar * Correspondence: [abdshaito@qu.edu.qa or abdshaito@gmail.com](abdshaito@qu.edu.qa or abdshaito@gmail.com) Simple Summary: Inula viscosa (synonymous of Dittrichia viscosa) is a plant used in traditional Mediterranean and Middle Eastern medicine to manage various illnesses. While it has shown anticancer effects against various cancer cell lines, its impact on lung cancer has not been under extensive study. This research explored the potential of the methanolic and aqueous extracts anda terpenoid-rich fraction of I. viscosa leaves and stems against human lung cancer cells. We found that the methanolic extract of I. viscosa leaves was particularly effective in reducing the viability of lung cancer cells in vitro, and other cancer cell types, without affecting normal cells. The terpenoidrich fraction demonstrated anticancer properties by attenuating the levels of proliferation marker proteins, activating the intrinsic apoptosis pathway, and inhibiting cell migration. GC/MS analysis revealed that the terpenoid-rich fraction encompasses several metabolites that can substantiate its biological activities. Abstract: Inula viscosa is a widely used plant in traditional Mediterranean and Middle Eastern medicine for various illnesses. I. viscosa has been shown to have anticancer effects against various cancers, but its effects against lung cancer have been under limited investigation. At the same time, I. viscosa is rich in terpenoids whose anti-lung cancer effects have been poorly investigated. This study aimed to examine the potential anticancer properties of methanolic and aqueous extracts of stems and leaves of I. viscosa and its terpenoid-rich fraction against human lung cancer A549 cells. Results showed that the methanolic extracts of I. viscosa had significantly higher polyphenol and flavonoid content and radical scavenging capacity than the aqueous extracts. In addition, leaves methanolic extracts (IVLM) caused the highest reduction in viability of A549 cells among all the extracts. IVLM also reduced the viability of human ovarian SK-OV-3, breast MCF-7, liver HepG2, and colorectal HCT116 cancer cells. A terpenoid-rich I. viscosa fraction (IVL DC

FAQs

What plant materials and fractions were evaluated against lung cancer cells?

Methanolic and aqueous extracts from I. viscosa leaves and stems were tested, along with a terpenoid-rich fraction obtained through liquid-liquid separation.

Which extract showed the strongest reduction in A549 cell viability?

The methanolic extract of I. viscosa leaves produced the highest reduction in A549 viability among the tested extracts.

How did the terpenoid-rich fraction affect cancer cell behavior and underlying pathways?

The terpenoid-rich fraction reduced A549 viability and migration, attenuated proliferation marker proteins, activated intrinsic apoptosis signaling, and supported these effects with GC-MS and antioxidant capacity data.

Sep 21, 2026

Uploaded by Miles