Urginea maritima (L.) Baker (Liliaceae) extract induces more cytotoxicity than standard chemotherapeutics in the A549 non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) cell line

Aim: Urginea maritima (Um) is a plant native to especially Turkey and the Mediterranean area. In this study, we investigated whether Urn extract exerted cytotoxicity on cancer cells. Materials and methods: We made various extracts of Urn. These extracts in varying concentrations were added to an A549 NSCLC cell culture, alone or with gemcitabine and/or cisplatin. Growth inhibition was tested by the MTT assay and an Annexin V-FITC apoptosis detection kit Results: The onion Urn extract (1 mu g/mL) was more cytotoxic than cisplatin (1 mu g/mL), gemcitabine (1 nm/mL), and leaf Urn extract (1 mu g/mL) with P < 0.001, P = 0.097, and P <0.001, respectively. The efficacy of Urn extract was further improved by the addition of an antioxidant cocktail to an IC50 value of 0.02 mu g/mL. Conclusion: Um extract has been shown for the first time to be a strong candidate for drug development in solid tumors. Our studies continue to further define the specific antitumor compound(s) in this extract.