Herbal extract of Artemisia vulgaris (mugwort) induces antitumor effects in HCT-15 human colon cancer cells via autophagy induction, cell migration suppression and loss of mitochondrial membrane potential

Purpose: Artemisia vulgaris (A. vulgaris) belonging to family Compositae, commonly known as mugwort, has been used as a medicinal herb in Chinese traditional medicine for treatment of diseases. Studies have reported a diversity of activities for this plant which include antiseptic, antispasmodic, antigastric, anticancer and nervous system diseases. However, the anticancer activity of A. vulgaris in HCT-15 human colon cancer cells has not been scientifically validated. Therefore the present study aimed at evaluating the anticancer activity of methanolic extract of A. vulgaris against HCT-15 human colon cancer cell line. Methods: Cell cytotoxicity effects of the extract were evaluated by MTT cell viability assay, while clonogenic assay assessed the effects on cancer cell colony formation. Effects on reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) were evaluated by flow cytometry. In vitro wound healing assay was used to evaluate the effects on cell migration. To confirm autophagy, we evaluated the expression of several autophagy-associated proteins using Western blot assay. Results: Results indicated that the methanolic extract of A. vulgaris exhibited an IC50 value of 50 mu g/ml and exerted its cytotoxic effects in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, it was observed that the extract inhibits colony formation and induces autophagy dose-dependently. The underlying mechanism for the induction of autophagy was found to be ROS-mediated MMP and significant inhibition of cell migration potential of colon cancer cells at the IC50 was observed. Conclusion: These results strongly stress that the methanolic extract may prove a source for the isolation of novel anticancer lead molecules for the management of colon cancer.