Abstract

IN VITRO AND IN SILICO EVALUATION OF ANTIOXIDANT ACTIVITY OF A SESQUITERPENE LACTONE, COSTUNOLIDE, ISOLATED FROM COSTUS SPECIOSUS RHIZOME ON MCF-7 AND MDA-MB-231 HUMAN BREAST CANCER CELL LINES.

Manikkam Rajalakshmi*, Roy Anita

ABSTRACT

Introduction: Costunolide is a sesquiterpene lactone identified in medicinal herbs with potential biological activity against human ailments. The present study aims to evaluate the antioxidant effect of costunolide isolated from the hexane extract of Costus speciosus (C. speciosus) rhizome on human breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7 & MDA-MB-231), explore its effect on free radical scavengers and identify its targeted interaction with them. Methods: Cells were cultured and incubated with costunolide for 24 h at 37°C. The viability of the cells was measured using MTT assay. Lipid peroxidation (TBARS), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) levels were determined with and without costunolide treatment. In-silico interaction analysis of the compound with the targets was carried out using Accelry’s Discovery Studio 2.1 Version. Results: The IC50 concentration of costunolide was 40 μM in both the cell lines. Our data indicated decreased oxidative status, as revealed by decreased lipid peroxidation levels in MCF-7 & MDA-MB-231 cells when exposed to costunolide compared to control cells. Similarly, there was a considerable increase in SOD, catalase and GPx activity in both the cell lines, when incubated with costunolide compared to the control. A normalized level of alteration was found to be induced on MCF-7 & MDA-MB-231 cells by costunolide treatment on all parameters analyzed. The in silico studies revealed a stable interaction of costunolide on SOD, catalase and GPx. Conclusion: These results support our hypothesis that costunolide act as a potential antioxidant agent on human breast cancer cells with the induction of apoptosis.

Keywords: Phytotherapy, antioxidant, apoptosis, free radicals, molecular docking.