Antiproliferative and Pro-Apoptotic Effects of Glaucium Flavum Extract on A549 Lung Cancer Cells

Introduction: Glaucium Flavum has recently been studied by researchers and pharmacists and has been attributed to its antioxidant, antiproliferative properties. The alkaloid compounds of this plant are also widely used in the pharmaceutical industry as decongestants and antitussives. Materials and Methods: In this experiment, first, the cell class (A549) was cultured in DMEM culture medium containing 10% FBS and then treated with different concentrations of Glaucium Flavum. MTT assay was performed to determine IC50 and compare the viability percentage of treated cells with different concentrations of Glaucium Flavum on days 1, 3, and 5. The qRTPCR test was used to investigate the effects of Glaucium Flavum with IC50 concentration on the induction of apoptosis, and expression of genes including P53, Bax, Bad, and Bcl2. Obtained results were analyzed by SPSS software using ANOVA test. Results: MTT results showed that Glaucium Flavum causes cell death and reduces the viability of cancer cells, which was observed in the form of cell shrinkage, nucleus shrinkage, and chromatin density and determination of 10 μg/ml concentration as IC50 of A549 cells. An increase in the expression of Bax, P53 and bad apoptotic genes, and a decrease in the expression of the Bcl2 gene also indicate the induction of apoptotic death and the lethal effect of Glaucium Flavum. Conclusion: Finally, it can be said that Glaucium Flavum, due to its rich content of alkaloid and antioxidant compounds, can be a good option to replace it with chemical drugs in the treatment of lung cancer.