Echinacea Angustifolia DC Extract Induces Apoptosis and Cell Cycle Arrest and Synergizes with Paclitaxel in the...

Echinacea spp. displays different biological activities, such as antiviral, immunomodulatory, and anticancer activities. Currently, high sales of hydroalcoholic extracts of Echinacea have been reported; hence, the importance of studies on Echinacea.

To establish the effects of Echinacea angustifolia DC extract obtained with ethyl acetate (Ea-AcOEt) in breast cancer cell lines.

Cytotoxicity, cell cycle arrest, and cell death were evaluated. Besides, the safety of the extract, as well as its effect in combination with paclitaxel were investigated.

The echinacoside and caffeic acid content in the Ea-AcOEt extract were quantified by HPLC, and its antioxidant activity was assessed. The Ea-AcOEt extract showed cytotoxic activity on breast cancer MDA-MB-231 cells (IC₅₀ 28.18 ± 1.14 µg/ml) and MCF-7 cells (19.97 ± 2.31 µg/ml). No effect was observed in normal breast MCF-10 cells. The Ea-AcOEt extract induced cell cycle arrest in the G1 phase and caspase-mediated apoptosis. No genotoxicity was found in vitro or in vivo, and the extract showed no signs of toxicity or death at 2,000 mg/kg in rodents. In vitro, the combination of Ea-AcOEt extract and paclitaxel showed a synergistic effect on both cancer cell lines.

The Ea-AcOEt extract is a potential candidate for breast cancer treatment.