Anticancer potential of Ferula hezarlalehzarica Y. Ajani fraction in Raji lymphoma cell line: induction of apoptosis, cell cycle arrest, and changes in mitochondrial membrane potential

BACKGROUND: Cancer is a major cause of mortality. The present study evaluates the antitumor effects of Ferula hezarlalehzarica Y. Ajani fractions on various cancer cell lines, including the Raji Burkitt’s lymphoma cells. METHODS: We evaluated the cytotoxic activity of various fractions of F. hezarlalehzarica against tumor cell lines by the MTT assay. Annexin V-PE/7-AAD and cell cycle analysis were assessed by flow cytometry. Expressions of genes associated with cell death and proliferation (Bax, Bcl-2, Fas, and c-Myc) were determined using real-time PCR. Alteration in mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) was examined by JC-1 dye staining. RESULTS: The hexane fraction of F. hezarlalehzarica showed the highest degree of cytotoxicity against Raji cells (IC(50) = 31.6 μg/ml). Flow cytometry analysis showed that 200 μg/ml of the fraction induced apoptosis in >96% of Raji cells after 24 h. In cell cycle analysis, at the same concentration, the percentage of apoptotic cells in the sub G1phase increased to 95.25 ± 1.76% at 48 h of treatment. The fraction induced cell cycle arrestat the G0/G1phase. Exposure to 100 μg/ml of the fraction after 48 h increased the percentage of G0/G1 cells (76.3 ± 6.08%) compared to the negative control (<50%). Treatment with75μg/ml of fraction reduced the expressions of Bcl-2 (0.23 ± 0.008-fold) and c-Myc (0.68 ± 0.07-fold) and increased Bax (1.75 ± 0.31-fold) and Fas (5.02 ± 0.74-fold; p < 0.01). We observed a decrease in MMP (≈0.4, p < 0.05) at ≥100 μg/ml and this effect remained almost unchanged until 48 h. CONCLUSIONS: The F. hezarlalehzarica hexane fraction induced apoptosis in Raji cells by changing the expression of apoptosis-related genes, cell cycle distribution, and MMP. These data suggested a potential effectiveness of F. hezarlalehzarica for inducing cell death in lymphoma cells. [Figure: see text]