Celtis australis Exhibits Cytotoxic Effects by Inducing DNA Damage in Human Ovarian Cancer Cells

Abstract

Native to the Mediterranean and southwest Asia, Celtis australis is used in folk medicine to treatment of many diseases such as peptic ulcer, diarrhea, dysentery, pain, and colic. However, there are very few studies on the effects of this species on cancer. We report for the first time the cytotoxic and genotoxic properties of C. australis on the human ovarian cancer cell line A2780. In the study, C. australis extract prepared in ethanol/phosphate buffer was applied to A2780 cells. The change in viability level in A2780 cells after treatment was determined by MTT assay and DNA damage was determined by single-cell gel electrophoresis (Comet) analysis. Our results showed that plant extract application at doses above 200 ?g/mL significantly decreased A2780 cell viability (p<0.05). The IC50 value for A2780 cells of C. australis was determined as 251.43 ?g/mL. Comet analysis results revealed that 50 ?g/mL and above dose applications increased the level of DNA damage (p<0.05). These results suggest that C. australis mediates cell death by inducing DNA damage in A2780 cancer cells.