Evaluation of the Effects of Four Plants Collected from Kopet-Dag Mountains on the Proliferation of Hepatocarcinoma Cell Line

Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the most common causes of cancer mortality worldwide. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of four plants collected from Kopet-Dag Mountains in Khorasan Province on the proliferation of hepatocarcinoma cell line. These plants include Ferula latisecta, Prangos latiloba, Satureja mutica, and Allium giganteum. The HepG2 hepatocarcinoma cells were treated with 12.5-400 µg/mL of the hydro-alcoholic extracts prepared from the aerial parts of the plants. The percentage of cell viability and the amount of oxygen free radicals were determined after 24 h. Human gingiva fibroblast was used as a non-cancerous control cell. Data were analyzed in SPSS software (version 20) through one-way analysis of variance followed by Dunnett post hoc test. According to the results, the extracts of Allium giganteum and Satureja mutica had no significant effect on the viability of hepatocarcinoma cells.Ferula latisecta at the concentration of 400 µg/mL and Prangos latiloba at the concentrations of 200 and 400 µg/mL reduced the percentage of cell viability (P<0.05). However, Prangos latiloba extract at the concentration of 200 µg/mL had no effect on the viability of fibroblasts. This extract reduced the amount of oxygen free radicals in hepatocarcinoma cells (P<0.001). Out of the investigated plants, Prangos latiloba could inhibit the proliferation of hepatocarcinoma cell at the concentration which had no cytotoxicity against normal fibroblast. This effect was induced via a mechanism independent of the pathway of oxidative damage.