Polyphenolic Composition of Carlina acaulis L. Extract and Cytotoxic Potential against Colorectal Adenocarcinoma and Cervical Cancer Cells

Abstract

Carlina acaulis is highly valued in the traditional medicine of many European countries for its diuretic, cholagogue, anthelmintic, laxative, and emetic properties. Moreover, practitioners of natural medicine indicate that it has anti-cancer potential. However, its phytochemistry is still little known. In the present study, the polyphenolic composition of the plant was investigated using ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with a high-resolution/quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometer (UHPLC-HR/QTOF/MS-PDA). The fractionation of the extract was carried out using liquid-liquid extraction and preparative chromatography techniques. Cytotoxicity was assessed based on neutral red and MTT assays. The obtained data showed that the species is rich in chlorogenic acids and C-glycosides of luteolin and apigenin. The total amount of chlorogenic acids was 12.6 mg/g. Among flavonoids, kaempferol dihexosidipentose and schaftoside were the most abundant, reaching approximately 3 mg/g, followed by isoorientin, vitexin-2-O-rhamnoside, and vicenin II, each with a content of approximately 2 mg/g. Furthermore, the cytotoxic potential of the plant against human colorectal adenocarcinoma (HT29) and human cervical cancer (HeLa) cells was investigated using the normal epithelial colon cell line (CCD 841CoTr) as a reference. It has been demonstrated that the ethyl acetate fraction was the most abundant in polyphenolic compounds and had the most promising anticancer activity. Further fractionation allowed for the obtaining of some subfractions that differed in phytochemical composition. The subfractions containing polyphenolic acids and flavonoids were characterized by low cytotoxicity against cancer and normal cell lines. Meanwhile, the subfraction with fatty acids was active and decreased the viability of HeLa and HT29 with minimal negative effects on CCD 841CoTr. The effect was probably linked to traumatic acid, which was present in the fraction at a concentration of 147 mg/g of dried weight. The research demonstrated the significant potential of C. acaulis as a plant with promising attributes, thus justifying further exploration of its biological activity.

Melinjo Seeds (Gnetum gnemon L.) Antioxidant Activity and Cytotoxic Effects on MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells: A Study Based on Tracing of Resveratrol Compound

“…[ 20 ] In other studies, the ethyl acetate fraction of Carlina acaulis L. also tended to show the strongest cytotoxic effect against human colorectal adenocarcinoma cancer cells (HT29) and human cervical cancer cells (HeLa) compared to other organic solvent fractions. [ 10 ] This indicates that ethyl acetate as a semipolar solvent dissolves more semipolar active substances (e.g., flavonoids, triterpenoids, and alkaloids), which are proven to have anticancer effects. [ 24 25 26 ]…”

“…[ 9 ] Furthermore, the cytotoxic potential of the Carlina acaulis L. plant in the ethyl acetate fraction (the most abundant polyphenolic compound and the strongest antioxidant potential) against human colorectal adenocarcinoma (HT29) and human cervical cancer (HeLa) cells shows the most promising anticancer activity. [ 10 ] Thus, polyphenols contained in the phenolic and flavonoid compound groups have a relationship with antioxidant and anticancer activity.…”

Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Potential of Carlina vulgaris Extract and Bioactivity-Guided Isolation of Cytotoxic Components

“…Furthermore, evidence has shown that the species exhibits antioxidant, antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-ulcer properties [ 7 , 8 , 9 ]. Additionally, it has been found to be cytotoxic against a few types of cancer cell lines [ 10 , 11 , 12 ].…”