Evaluation of the cytotoxic, anticancer, and genotoxic activities of Acacia nilotica flowers and their effects on N-methyl-N-nitrosourea-induced genotoxicity in mice

Abstract

Purpose In this study, two main research objectives were examined: (1) the cytotoxic and anticancer activities of the aqueous methanol extract from Acacia nilotica flowers on three human cancer cells, namely lung A549, breast MCF-7, and leukemia THP-1 cells, and (2) the genotoxic effects of A. nilotica extract and its influence on DNA damage induced by N-methyl-N-nitrosourea (MNU) in mice. Methods Mice were orally treated with A. nilotica extract (200, 500, and 800 mg/kg for 4 days) with or without MNU (80 mg/kg intraperitoneally for 24 h). Results In vitro experiments showed that A549 cells were the most sensitive to A. nilotica extract among the tested cell lines. A. nilotica extract inhibited A549 cell proliferation by blocking the cell cycle at the G2/M phase and accumulating apoptotic cells in the sub-G0/G1 phase in A549 cells. In vivo experiments showed that MNU induced positive and negative genotoxicity in bone marrow cells and spermatocytes, respectively. Negative genotoxicity was observed in A. nilotica extract-treated groups only. However, A. nilotica extract (800 mg/kg) remarkably increased comet tail formation in bone marrow cells. Unexpectedly, the absence of antigenotoxicity was observed in three cotreated groups with A. nilotica extract and MNU compared with the MNU-treated group. Astonishingly, cotreatment with MNU and A. nilotica extract at a dose above 200 mg/kg remarkably increased micronucleus and comet tail formation in bone marrow cells compared with the MNU-treated group. Conclusions A. nilotica extract possessed anticancer activity with relative genotoxic effects at high doses.

Pharmacological Evaluation of Acacia nilotica Flower Extract against Helicobacter pylori and Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma In Vitro and In Silico

“…In another recent study, Kaur et al [4] studied the phytoconstituents of A. nilotica bark extract via HPLC, showing the existence of numerous phenolic constituents such as ferulic acid, myricetin, kaempferol, rutin, quercetin, gallic acid, betulin, catechin and epicatechin. The extracted A. nilotica flowers with aqueous methanol reflected the presence of gallic acid, catechin, 7-Galloyl catechin, quercetin 3-O-rhanmnopyranosyl (1→6) glucopyranoside, quercetin-3-O-α-Lrhamnopyranoside, quercetin 3-O-β-glucopyranoside and quercetin [29]. Several studies have focused on the biological activities of the natural phenolic and flavonoid molecules in the fields of pharmaceutics and nutrition.…”

“…For instance, kidney, breast and liver cells were repressed by the extract of aerial parts of Acacia hamulosa, A. salicina, A. laeta and A. tortilis [19]. In addition, human cancer cell lines, such as those of MCF-7, A549 and THP-1 cells, were influenced by A. catechu and A. nilotica extracts [28,29]. A. nilotica leaf extracts exhibited anticancer activity against Hep-2 (cervical cancer) and MDA-MB-231 (breast cancer) [30].…”

Antioxidant and antimicrobial activities of diverse parts of Acacia nilotica plant extracted by different solvents

“…Acacia is a member of the Fabaceae (Leguminosae) family. It is an extremely important plant for the production of gum, fuel wood, charcoal, and animal feed (Diab et al, 2022;Khalaf et al, 2023). Acacia nilotica is widely spread in subtropical and tropical Africa from Egypt to Mauritania southwards to South Africa (Abdalla et al, 2020;Ahmed et al, 2020;Gaara et al, 2020).…”

Acacia nilotica Pod Extract has an Anti-cancer Effect on the U937 Cell Line

“…Acacia nilotica: A. nilotica, a tree that grows in tropical countries, belongs to the family Fabaceae of the genus Acacia. A. nilotica is a tree with diverse potential anti-cancer and anti-toxic abilities [1] and has been reported to have different medicinal uses and various pharmacological properties. [2][3][4][5] Ranging from anti-bacterial, [6,7] anti-viral, anti-oxidant, [8] anti-diabetic, anti-mutagenic, and cytotoxic activities.…”

“…[9] Different chemical components were found in A. nilotica from different parts with potential for different anti-cancer and anti-toxic actions. [1] A. nilotica has a diverse variety of biological activities, making it one of the best candidates for developing novel, secure, environmentally friendly, and renewable pharmacological foundations with a broad range of therapeutic applications. Acute myeloid leukemia, or AML, is the uncontrollable growth of non-properly developed immature blood cells and is one of the most common cancer diseases that is aggressive and rabidly progressing, being one of the leading causes of human death in the world.…”