Quercetin-Rich Extracts from Onions (Allium cepa) Play Potent Cytotoxicity on Adrenocortical Carcinoma Cell Lines, and Quercetin Induces Important Anticancer Properties

Abstract

Adrenocortical carcinoma (ACC) is a rare subtype of cancer, with a poor prognosis in children and adults. Mitotane is the only approved adrenolytic drug for the treatment of ACC, which has controversies regarding its efficacy and side effects on patients. Onion (Allium cepa), a worldwide consumed food, is associated with many health benefits. Along with its glycosides, the flavonoid quercetin is abundant in onions. After evaluating the cytotoxicity of A. cepa extracts on adrenocortical carcinoma cell line (H295R), the rich quercetin fractions had better results. Then, we aimed to compare the quercetin vs. mitotane effectiveness, using adrenocortical carcinoma cell lines H295R and SW-13. Quercetin showed a higher cytotoxicity response on both cancerous cell lines after 10 µM concentration, while mitotane only after 30 µM. Cell cycle dynamics were altered upon quercetin treatments, with G2 phase increase with 30 µM of quercetin on H295R cell line and G1 arrest on SW-13 cell line with 15 µM. Early and late apoptosis, alongside intracellular calcium, were increased on SW-13 treated with 30 µM of quercetin, and ROS rates were reduced by quercetin on H295R. Therefore, quercetin-rich onions have the potential to be a natural source of anticancer agents for adrenocortical carcinoma.

Flowers of Allium cepa L. as Nutraceuticals: Phenolic Composition and Anti-Obesity and Antioxidant Effects in Caenorhabditis elegans

“…Peaks 5 (kaemperol-3- O -glucoside), 6 (isorhamnetin-3- O -glucoside), and 1 (kaemperol- O -dihexoside) were the major compounds found in the extract. The phenolic profile of this part of the sample is slightly different from those reported for the bulb and peel, in which the main compounds present were quercetin glycosides [ 26 , 27 ]. The quantity of kaempferol and isorhamnetin derivatives found in the extract was higher than other species of flowers, such as Viola cornuta , Viola × wittrockiana , or Sambucus nigra , but less than the value reported for Cytisus multiflorus [ 28 , 29 ].…”

The Regulatory Network of Gastric Cancer Pathogenesis and Its Potential Therapeutic Active Ingredients of Traditional Chinese Medicine Based on Bioinformatics, Molecular Docking, and Molecular Dynamics Simulation

“…Quercetin has been reported to exhibit antioxidant [ 51 ], anti-inflammatory [ 52 , 53 ], and antimicrobial activities [ 54 , 55 ] and is also considered an anticancer agent [ 56 ]. A large body of epidemiological evidence has elucidated that the consumption of quercetin-rich vegetables and fruits may prevent the development of several cancers [ 57 , 58 ]. Quercetin exerts antitumor impacts on gastric cancer cells by inducing apoptosis [ 59 ].…”

Molecular Mechanism of Natural Food Antioxidants to Regulate ROS in Treating Cancer: A Review

“…Cancer cells are cells that show abnormalities in normal cell cycle dynamics that result in the uncontrolled rapid division of malignant cells that do not respond to the controlling signal. Thus, it can grow and divide uncontrollably, infecting normal cells, tissues, and organs [9,12]. Clinically, cancer development may be initiated by internal factors (e.g., mutation of normal cells, immune conditions, or hormones) [13] and external factors (e.g., diet, tobacco or smoking behavior, environment, infections, or radiations) [14,15].…”