Centaurea bruguierana inhibits cell proliferation, causes cell cycle arrest, and induces apoptosis in human MCF-7 breast carcinoma cells.

Centaurea bruguierana, of the Asteraceae family, has a long history of use in traditional medicines for the treatment of various ailments. However, the anticancer activity and underlying mechanisms have not yet been assessed. The C. bruguierana was extracted with methanol and fractionated into four different fractions. Different cancer cells and one non-cancerous were used to examine the cytotoxic effects of these fractions using MTT assay. The most potent fraction, C. bruguierana ethyl acetate fraction (CB EtOAc), was explored for its effects on cell cycle progression and apoptosis induction by Hoechst staining and annexin V-PI double staining in MCF-7 cells. The expression of apoptosis-related genes was quantified by RT-PCR. Of all fractions, CB EtOAc was found to have the strongest antiproliferative activity (IC50 = 10 μg/mL) against MCF-7 cells. The antiproliferative activity of the CB EtOAc fraction against MCF-7 was correlated with arrested of cell cycle in the G1 phase, nuclear fragmentation, and the exposure of phosphatidylserine. The induction of apoptosis by CB EtOAc in MCF-7 cells was also associated with an increase in the Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and higher expression of caspases. Overall, our results demonstrated that CB EtOAc showed apoptosis-inducing effects, suggesting that C. bruguierana may be a promising source for a novel chemotherapeutic agents for the treatment of breast cancer.