Abstract
Protoapigenone, isolated from the native fern plant Thelypteris torresiana, has anticancer activity against some cancer cells. However, the toxicological mechanism for protoapigenone is still unknown. Here, we investigated the anticancer effect of protoapigenone on human lung cancer cell lines. The comet assay showed that DNA damage induced by protoapigenone is dose-dependent. Trypan blue exclusion showed that the cell killing by protoapigenone is both time and dose dependent. The IC50 of protoapigenone for 12, 24, and 48 h in H1299 cells is 6.11, 2.74, and 1.49 μM, respectively. Flow cytometry showed cell cycle perturbation such as sub-G1 accumulation (at 1.57 μM for 48 h and at 3.57 μM for 12 and 24 h) and G2/M arrest (at 3.57 μM for 12 and 24 h) for protoapigenone. The sub-G1 accumulation phenomena in the 3.57 μM for 24 h sample were shown to be apoptosis using Annexin V-immunofluorescence/propidium iodide staining. These results suggest protoapigenone is a potential chemotherapeutic agent for lung cancers.