Umbelliprenin is cytotoxic against QU-DB large cell lung cancer cell line but anti-proliferative against A549 adenocarcinoma cells

The QU-DB large cell and A549 adenocarcinoma lung cancer cell lines were treated with umbelliprenin. IC50 values were estimated using methyl thiazolely diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, in which a decrease in MTT reduction can occur as a result of cell death or cell proliferation inhibition. To quantify the rate of cell death at IC50 values, flow cytometry using Annexin V-FITC (for apoptotic cells), and propidium iodide (for necrotic cells) dyes were employed.Data from three independent MTT experiments in triplicate revealed that IC50 values for QU-DB and A549 were 47 ± 5.3 μM and 52 ± 1.97 μM, respectively. Annexin V/PI staining demonstrated that umbelliprenin treatment at IC50 induced 50% cell death in QU-DB cells, but produced no significant death in A549 cells until increasing the umbelliprenin concentration to IC80. The pattern of cell death was predominantly apoptosis in both cell lines. When peripheral blood mononuclear cells were treated with 50 μM and less concentrations of umbelliprenin, no suppressive effect was observed.We found cytotoxic/anti-proliferative effects of umbelliprenin against two different types of lung cancer cell lines.Lung cancer is one of the most common causes of cancer related deaths in most countries [1]. In Iran, lung cancer is the third most frequent cancer in both men and women [2]. The current 5 year survival of lung cancer is about 10–15% mostly being attributed to late diagnosis and inefficient therapy [3,4]. The limited success and significant side effects of lung cancer treatment with classic chemotherapeutic agents has led researchers to find more efficient drugs with fewer side effects [5,6].Umbelliprenin is synthesized by various Ferula plant species such as Citrus Limon[7]. It is a prenylated compound that belongs to the class of sesquiterpene coumarins, and possesses a similar structure to auraptene, a compound whose antitumor activities have largely been investigated [8]. Recently, umbelliprenin has attracted th