Cytotoxicity of Salvigenin from Asterohyptis stellulata in Combination with Clinical Drugs Against Colorectal Cancer

Abstract

Flavonoids, abundant polyphenols in various plant-based sources, exhibit diverse health benefits, particularly in cancer prevention and treatment, attributed to their ability to mitigate oxidative stress. Salvigenin, a naturally occurring trimethoxylated flavone from the aerial parts of Asterohyptis stellulata Epling, Lamiaceae, has gained attention for its potential synergistic effects with conventional anticancer drugs. The present study describes the evaluation of salvigenin, a non-cytotoxic flavone (IC50 > 50 µM), in combination assays with clinical drugs in human colon carcinoma cells (HCT-116), which revealed significant differences as compared to single salvigenin treatments. Remarkably, IC50 values of 1.8 and 1.5 µM for the combination of salvigenin with sublethal concentrations of podophyllotoxin and colchicine (0.008 µM), respectively, were observed, indicating an enhancement in its cytotoxicity effectiveness. These findings emphasize the potential of salvigenin-based combination therapies as a promising strategy for colorectal cancer treatment, offering improved therapeutic results with reduced clinical drug doses and associated side effects. Graphical Abstract