Phyla nodiflora L. Extracts Induce Apoptosis and Cell Cycle Arrest in Human Breast Cancer Cell Line, MCF-7

Phyla nodiflora L. has been used as medicinal remedies for various ailments due to its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, anti-tumor activity. Previously, we found that the plant extracts induced DNA fragmentation in MCF-7. This study was to investigate the modes of action of P. nodiflora in inhibiting breast cancer cells using leaf ethyl acetate (EA leaf), stem ethyl acetate (EA stem) and stem methanol (Met stem) extracts. The MTT assay showed that the anti-proliferative effects of P. nodiflora extracts were selective towards MCF-7 with a minimal effect on MCF10A. Morphological changes such as cell shrinkage and nuclear condensation were observed in treated cells. We found that induction of apoptosis by EA leaf and EA stem was mitochondrial-dependent while loss of mitochondrial membrane potential was not found in Met stem-treated cells. In addition, the expression levels of AIFM1, CASP9, CFLAR, and IGF1R were altered after treatment. Decreased BCL-2 expression was found in treated cells while BAX and caspases' expression was upregulated or maintained. All extracts caused perturbation of cell cycle at S phase by dysregulating the expression of cell cycle regulators such as CDKs and cyclins. Our findings indicate that P. nodiflora inhibits MCF-7 cells by inducing apoptosis and perturbing cell cycle.