Anticancer Activity of Aqueous Extracts from Asparagus officinalis L. Byproduct on Breast Cancer Cells

Abstract

Cultivation of asparagus (Asparagus officinalis L.; Asp) for food and medicinal use has taken place since the early Roman Empire. Today, Asp represents a worldwide diffuse perennial crop. Lower portions of the spears represent a food industry waste product that can be used to extract bioactive molecules. In this study, aqueous extracts derived from the non-edible portion of the plant (hard stem) were prepared and characterized for chemical content. Furthermore, the biocompatibility and bioactivity of Asp aqueous extracts were assessed in vitro on normal fibroblasts and on breast cancer cell lines. Results showed no interference with fibroblast viability, while a remarkable cytostatic concentration-dependent activity, with significant G1/S cell cycle arrest, was specifically observed in breast cancer cells without apoptosis induction. Asp extracts were also shown to significantly inhibit cell migration. Further analyses showed that Asp extracts were characterized by specific pro-oxidant activity against tumoral cells, and, importantly, that their combination with menadione resulted in a significant enhancement of oxidants production with respect to menadione alone in breast cancer cells but not in normal cells. This selectivity of action on tumoral cells, together with the easiness of their preparation, makes the aqueous Asp extracts very attractive for further investigation in breast cancer research, particularly to investigate their role as possible co-adjuvant agents of clinical drug therapies.

Cell cycle block by p53 activation reduces SARS-CoV-2 release in infected alveolar basal epithelial A549-hACE2 cells

“…Cells treated for 24 or 72 h with Nutlin-3 or RG-7112 (0.1, 1 and 2.5 µM) and relative controls were analyzed for cell viability by Trypan blue dye exclusion. At the same time points, cell cycle profile and hypodiploid cell percentage were examined by 5-bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU; Sigma, St Louis, MO, United States) incorporation, as previously reported ( Romani et al, 2021 ). Briefly, after treatment, cells were incubated with 10 µM BrdU (Sigma- Aldrich, Darmstadt, Germany) for 1 hour at 37°C, trypsinized and collected together with the floating cells harvested with the medium before trypsin treatment.…”

Удосконалення Елементів Біологізації Технології Вирощування Аспарагусу За Краплинного Зрошення На Півдні України

“…У пагонах аспарагусу є вітаміни групи В, С, фолієва кислота, рутин, мінеральні речовини: калій, фосфор, кальцій, натрій, магній, йод, марганець, залізо, сірка, мідь, фтор [6]. Виняткова композиція корисних речовин, що міститься у пагонах має імунопротекторну, антиоксидантну, протипухлинну, гіпохолестеринемічну, гепатопротекторну, нейропротекторну, антимутагенну [7,8], та гіпоглікемічна активність [9]. У дієтології аспарагус високо цінують як низькокалорійний продукт та як натуральні ліки для профілактики серцевосудинних захворювань у людини [10].…”

The Spectrum of Pharmacological Actions of Syringetin and Its Natural Derivatives—A Summary Review

“…Being an ingredient of aqueous extracts of Asparagus officinalis L., laricitrin- O -glucoside contributes to its high antitumor activity against breast cancer cells (NIH/3T3, MDA-MB-231, and MCF-7). The most sensitive to laricitrin proved MCF-7 cell line (expressing HR + /HER2 − phenotype), where a significant reduction in proliferation was observed, along with the cell cycle arrest and low levels of apoptosis [ 77 ]. Anticancer activity of laricitrin may be associated among others with inhibition of the breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP/ABCG2) [ 78 ].…”