Hydro-alcoholic extract of Dorema aucheri loaded on liposome nanoparticles, effectively induces apoptosis in SW48 cell line

Several natural products have been introduced to protect against a wide range of cancers including colorectal cancer. Dorema aucheri has traditionally been used as an herbal medicine and its extract has been reported to contain significant amounts of antioxidants Such as flavonoids, anthocyanins and phenolic acid. This study aimed to evaluate the cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of Dorema aucheri extract and its liposomal form as a potential cytotoxic agent in SW48 colorectal cancer cell line.

In this in vitro study, SW48 cell lines were cultured and then, treated with different doses of Hydro-alcoholic extract of Dorema aucheri (DAE), Dorema aucheri-loaded nanoliposomes (Lip-DAE), free liposomes for 24 hours, 48 hours, and 72 hours. The liposomes were prepared using the thin-film dispersion hydration method. Cancer cell survival was assessed using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) at the concentrations of (15/625, 31/25, 62/5, 125, 250 µg/ml). Apoptosis was evaluated by staining cells with Propidium Iodide and Annexin V by flow cytometry. vincristine was used as positive control in this study. Data were analyzed using two-way ANOVA and Tukey post hoc tests.

The result of 50% inhibitory concentration (IC50) in 24 hours was 48.33 µg/ml Lip-DAE, 67.44 µg/ml for DAE and 50 ng/ml for vincristine. DAE and its liposomal form and vincristine reduced the survival of liver cancer cells (SW48) and decreased the cell viability by increasing time and concentration. The results of apoptosis test showed that the highest percentage of apoptosis in this cell line were observed in Lip-DAE than control (41.5%). However, DAE alone was a lower increase than control (38.4%). (p <0.05)

The results of this study showed that loading of DAE in nanoliposomes increases the toxicity and apoptotic effect of DAE and can be a suitable candidate for in-vivo studies to confrontation tumor cells with less side effects.