Assessment of the antiproliferative activity, cell cycle arrest, and apoptosis induction by the n-butanolic fraction from the aerial parts of Asphodelus tenuifolius Cav

Asphodelus tenuifolius Cav. is well known in algerian folk medicine but its anticancer potential remains unexplored. This study examined the effects of the n-butanolic fraction (BFAT) of its aerial part on cancer cell growth, apoptosis, and cell cycle regulation. PC3 and MDA-MB-231 cancer cells were treated with BFAT (0-50.000 µg/mL) for 72 h, and cell viability was assessed using the MTT assay. Apoptosis and cell cycle progression were analysed by flow cytometry after 24 h of treatment (250-1000 µg/mL). LC-HRMS/MS permitted the identification of 50 compounds with adenosine (19.01%), chlorogenic acid (13.76%), aloesin (10.13%) and hydroxysafflor Yellow A (7.39%) as the major components. BFAT demonstrated a strong antiproliferative activity (IC50:143.11 ± 6.43 µg/mL for PC3 and 149.19 ± 3.15 µg/mL for MDA-MB-231). It induced apoptosis in a dose-dependent manner, reaching 80% apoptotic cells at 1000 µg/mL and caused G0/G1 cell cycle arrest. Thus, A. tenuifolius is a potential anticancer agent.