Antioxidant and in vitro anticancer effect of 2-pyrrolidinone rich fraction of Brassica oleracea var. capitata through induction of apoptosis in human cancer cells.

The aim of this study was to analyze if the 2-pyrrolidinone rich fraction of Brassica oleracea var. capitata exhibiting antioxidant and in vitro anticancer activities. 2-Pyrrolidinone is an active compound present in Brassica oleracea var. capitata. Our findings explored the potential use of 2-pyrrolidinone in cancer treatment. This compound was identified and isolated by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry and high-performance liquid chromatography from the leaf of Brassica oleracea var. capitata. The resultant rich active compound exhibited in vitro cytotoxicity in HeLa and PC-3 human cancer cell lines, and it also exhibited antioxidant activity in cell free assays. DAPI staining, an apoptotic analysis and cell cycle analysis were performed to evaluate the anticancer activity of 2-pyrrolidinone against the above cell lines. The IC50 value of 2-pyrrolidinone was determined to be of 2.5 µg/ml for HeLa, 3 µg/ml for PC-3 cells at 24 h and 1.5 µg/ml for HeLa and 2 µg/ml for PC-3 cells at 48 h, respectively. However, cell cycle analysis revealed that the anti-proliferative effects of the 2-pyrrolidinone were mediated through cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 phase. These results from the current study suggest that the 2-pyrrolidinone have potential anticancer effects, which will lead to the development of new anticancer agents for arresting cancer cells growth in vitro.