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Updated: May 16, 2026
Assessment of the Cytotoxic and Immunomodulatory Effects of Substances in Human Precision-cut Lung Slices
Published on: May 9, 2018
Decreased helenalin-induced cytotoxicity by flavonoids from Arnica as studied in a human lung carcinoma cell line
H J Woerdenbag1, I Merfort, T J Schmidt
1Department of Pharmaceutical Biology, University Centre for Pharmacy, Groningen Institute for Drug Studies (GIDS), University of Groningen, Antonius Deusinglaan 2, NL-9713 AW Groningen, The Netherlands.
Abstract:
The effect of the flavones apigenin, luteolin, hispidulin and eupafolin, and of the flavonols kaempferol, quercetin, 6-methoxykaempferol and patuletin from Arnica spp. on the cytotoxicity of the sesquiterpene lactone helenalin was studied in the human lung carcinoma cell line GLC4 using the microculture tetrazolium (MTT) assay. The tumour cells were exposed to the test compounds for 2h. Helenalin concentrations around its control IC(50) value, 0.5 μM, were combined with flavonoid concentrations ranging from 0.01 to 20 μM. At non-toxic concentrations, up to 10μM, all flavonoids except kaempferol significantly reduced the helenalin-induced cytotoxicity. Hispidulin and patuletin displayed their modulating effect on helenalin-induced cytotoxicity in the broadest concentration range. The strongest effect was found with 5 and 10μM hispidulin, 0.05 μM quercetin, and 1 μM patuletin, increasing the IC(50) value of helenalin with circa 40%. No dose-dependency was found in the concentration range tested.
