Background: Breast and esophageal cancer are the most aggressive and prominent causes of death worldwide. In addition, these cancers showed resistance to current chemotherapy regimens with limited success rates and fatal outcomes. Recently many studies reported the significant cytotoxic effects of phenolic and terpene fractions extracted from various Prunus species against different cancer cell lines. As a result, it has a good chance to be tested as a complement or replacement for standard chemotherapies. Methods: The study aimed to evaluate the cytotoxicity of phenolic and terpene fractions extracted from Iraqi Prunus arabica on breast (AMJ13) and esophageal (SK-GT-4) cancer cell lines by using the MTT assay (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide). Analysis using the Chou-Talalay method was performed to assess the synergistic effect between the extracted fractions and chemotherapeutic agent (docetaxel). Moreover, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis was conducted for the quantitative determination of different bioactive molecules of both phenolic and terpene fractions in the extract. Results: According to the findings, the treatment modalities significantly decreased cancer cell viability of AMJ13 and SK-GT-4 and had insignificant cytotoxicity on the normal cells (normal human fibroblast cell line) (all less than 50% cytotoxicity). Analysis with Chou-Talalay showed a strong synergism with docetaxel on both cancer cell lines (higher cytotoxicity even in low concentrations) and failed to induce cytotoxicity on the normal cells. Important flavonoid glycosides and terpenoids were detected by HPLC, in particularly, ferulic acid, catechin, chlorogenic acid, β-sitosterol, and campesterol. Conclusions: In conclusion, the extracted fractions selectively inhibited the proliferation of both cancer cell lines and showed minimal cytotoxicity on normal cells. These fractions could be naturally derived drugs for treating breast and esophageal cancers.

Background: Breast and esophageal cancer are the most aggressive and prominent causes of death worldwide. In addition, these cancers showed resistance to current chemotherapy regimens with limited success rates and fatal outcomes. Recently many studies reported the significant cytotoxic effects of phenolic and terpene fractions extracted from various Prunus species against different cancer cell lines. As a result, it has a good chance to be tested as a complement or replacement for standard chemotherapies. Methods: The study aimed to evaluate the cytotoxicity of phenolic and terpene fractions extracted from Iraqi Prunus arabica on breast (AMJ13) and esophageal (SK-GT-4) cancer cell lines by using the MTT assay (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide). Analysis using the Chou-Talalay method was performed to assess the synergistic effect between the extracted fractions and chemotherapeutic agent (docetaxel). Moreover, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) analysis was conducted for the quantitative determination of different bioactive molecules of both phenolic and terpene fractions in the extract. Results: According to the findings, the treatment modalities significantly decreased cancer cell viability of AMJ13 and SK-GT-4 and had insignificant cytotoxicity on the normal cells (normal human fibroblast cell line) (all less than 50% cytotoxicity). Analysis with Chou-Talalay showed a strong synergism with docetaxel on both cancer cell lines (higher cytotoxicity even in low concentrations) and failed to induce cytotoxicity on the normal cells. Important flavonoid glycosides and terpenoids were detected by HPLC, in particularly, ferulic acid, catechin, chlorogenic acid, β-sitosterol, and campesterol. Conclusions: In conclusion, the extracted fractions selectively inhibited the proliferation of both cancer cell lines and showed minimal cytotoxicity on normal cells. These fractions could be naturally derived drugs for treating breast and esophageal cancers.

Plant extraction is a process that aims to extract certain components present in plants. It is a solid/liquid separation operation: a solid object (the plant) is placed in contact with a fluid (the solvent). The plant components of interest are then solubilized and contained within the solventChemical tests were carried out using the ethanolic extracts from plants and different fractions, using standard procedures to identify the active constituents

Plant extraction is a process that aims to extract certain components present in plants. It is a solid/liquid separation operation: a solid object (the plant) is placed in contact with a fluid (the solvent). The plant components of interest are then solubilized and contained within the solvent