Ethnopharmacological relevance

Acacia nilotica is widely distributed in Asia. In India, it occupies an important place in the indigenous system of medicine against anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, cancers, and/or tumors.

Aim of the study

The purpose of this study is to investigate the inhibitory effect of Acacia nilotica leaves extract and γ-Sitosterol on cell proliferation, the apoptotic effect and cell cycle arrest in breast and lung cancer cells.

Materials and methods

GC–MS and HPLC were used to determine the chemical constituents of this extract and γ-Sitosterol respectively. Human MCF-7 and A549 cell lines were treated with Acacia nilotica extract and γ-Sitosterol. Cell viability was determined by MTT assay. Cell proliferation was determined by BrdU incorporation assay. Apoptosis was detected by cell morphologic observation through AO/EtBr staining, cell cycle analysis, and immunoblot analysis on the expression of protein associated with cell cycle arrest.

Results

Experimental results of bioactive compound analysis indicate that γ-Sitosterol, bioactive ingredients of Acacia nilotica extract. The IC₅₀ value of extract on MCF-7 and A549 cancer cells was 493.3 ± 15.2 and 696.6 ± 11.5 μg/ml, respectively. Acacia nilotica extract and γ-Sitosterol were inhibited the cell proliferation by 54.34 ± 1.8 and 42.18 ± 3.9% for MCF-7 and 58.26 ± 1.5 and 44.36 ± 3.05% for A549 cells. The percentage of apoptotic cells observed in the MCF-7 and A549 cell lines were increased to 42.46 and 36.8% of extract; 46.68 and 43.24% for γ-Sitosterol respectively. Flow cytometric analysis results demonstrate that cells were arrested at the G2/M phase and decrease the c-Myc expression.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates in vitro results, which support the ethnomedical use of γ-Sitosterol against cancer. Experimental results of this study suggest that γ-Sitosterol exerts potential anticancer activity through the growth inhibition, cell cycle arrest and the apoptosis on cancer cells.