J Appl Biomed 18:18-25, 2020 | DOI: 10.32725/jab.2020.002

Toxicity assessment of Hypericum olympicum subsp. olympicum L. on human lymphocytes and breast cancer cell lines

Necmiye Balikci1, Mehmet Sarimahmut1, Ferda Ari1, Nazlihan Aztopal1,2, Mustafa Zafer Özel3, Engin Ulukaya1,4, Serap Celikler1,*
1 Uludag University, Faculty of Science and Arts, Department of Biology, Bursa, Turkey
2 Istinye University, Faculty of Science and Literature, Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Istanbul, Turkey
3 University of York, Department of Chemistry, Heslington, York, United Kingdom
4 Istinye University, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Medical Biochemistry, Istanbul, Turkey

There is a limited number of studies about the constituents of Hypericum olympicum subsp. olympicum and its genotoxic and cytotoxic potency. We examined the possible antigenotoxic/genotoxic properties of methanolic extract of H. olympicum subsp. olympicum (HOE) on human lymphocytes by employing sister chromatid exchange, micronucleus and comet assay and analyzed its chemical composition by GCxGC-TOF/MS. The anti-growth activity against MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines was assessed by using the ATP viability assay. Cell death mode was investigated with fluorescence staining and ELISA assays. The major components of the flower and trunk were determined as eicosane, heptacosane, 2-propen-1-ol, hexahydrofarnesyl acetone and α-muurolene. HOE caused significant DNA damage at selected doses (250-750 µg/ml) while chromosomal damage was observed at higher concentrations (500 and 750 µg/ml). HOE demonstrated anti-growth activity in a dose-dependent manner between 3.13-100 µg/ml. Pyknotic nuclei were observed at 100 µg/ml concentration of HOE in both cell lines. In conclusion, HOE demonstrated cytotoxic effects in a cell type-dependent manner, however its genotoxic effects were observed at relatively higher doses.

Keywords: Breast cancer; Cytotoxicity; Folk medicine; Genotoxicity; Human lymphocyte; Hypericum olympicum
Grants and funding:

This work was supported by the Research Fund of Bursa Uludag University, Turkey under Grants BUAP(F)-2014/3 and OUAP(T)-2015/19.

Conflicts of interest:

The authors report no conflict of interests.

Received: July 12, 2019; Revised: October 24, 2019; Accepted: January 23, 2020; Prepublished online: February 20, 2020; Published: March 1, 2020  Show citation

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Balikci N, Sarimahmut M, Ari F, Aztopal N, Zafer Özel M, Ulukaya E, Celikler S. Toxicity assessment of Hypericum olympicum subsp. olympicum L. on human lymphocytes and breast cancer cell lines. J Appl Biomed. 2020;18(1):18-25. doi: 10.32725/jab.2020.002. PubMed PMID: 34907704.
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