Dehydrocostuslactone is a
sesquiterpene lactone derived from Saussurea lappa, a plant used in traditional
herbal medicines. The anti-proliferative activity of
dehydrocostuslactone was investigated in human
breast cancer (MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-453 and SK-BR-3) and
ovarian cancer (SK-OV-3 and OVCAR3) cell lines using the methyl thiazolyl tetrazolium assay. In the cells, exposure to
dehydrocostuslactone resulted in a dose-dependent decline in cell proliferation. The IC50 value was found to be 21.5, 43.2, 25.6, 15.9 and 10.8 µM in MDA-MB-231, MDA-MB-453, SK-BR-3, SK-OV-3 and OVCAR3 cells, respectively.
Dehydrocostuslactone exerted its antiproliferative effects by inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis. Cell cycle distribution and apoptosis were analyzed using flow cytometry in cell lines exposed to 10 µM
dehydrocostuslactone for 48 h. Compared to the controls, exposure to
dehydrocostuslactone resulted in accumulation in the G2/M phase and a marked increase in the apoptotic cell population. These results suggest that
dehydrocostuslactone has potential anticancer properties.