Romanian Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences
 

« Back to Farmacia Journal 5/2026

QUERCETIN-INDUCED CYTOTOXICITY IN RPMI 7951 HUMAN MELANOMA CELLS: AN IN VITRO STUDY

DANIELA SAȘCO 1,2,3,4#, MONICA MARIA ȘUȘAN 5,6#, IOAN SMULTEA 1,2,3,4, RĂZVAN GEORGE RAESCU 1*, BOGDAN ALMAJAN-GUTA 7, ANDRA TIBERIA PĂCURAR 1,2,3,4, ANDREEA-MARIA CRISTEA 1,2,3,4, ALINA HEGHEȘ 2, VICTOR DUMITRAȘCU ⁸

¹ Doctoral School, “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Timișoara, 2 Eftimie Murgu Square, 300041, Timișoara, Romania
2 Faculty of Pharmacy, “Victor Babeş” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 2 Eftimie Murgu Square, 300041, Timișoara, Romania
3 University Clinic of Toxicology, Drug Industry, Management and Legislation, Faculty of Pharmacy, “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timişoara, 2 Eftimie Murgu Square, 300041, Timişoara, Romania
4 Research Center for Pharmaco-Toxicological Evaluation, “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timișoara, 2 Eftimie Murgu Square, 300041, Timișoara, Romania
5 Department of Internal Medicine, Discipline of Medical Semiology I, “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timişoara, 2 Eftimie Murgu Square, 300041, Timișoara, Romania
6 Centre for Preventive Medicine, “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timişoara, 2 Eftimie Murgu Square, 300041, Timișoara, Romania
7 Department of Physical Therapy and Special Motricity, West University of Timișoara, 300223, Timișoara, Romania
8 Biochemistry and Pharmacology Department, Discipline of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, “Victor Babeș” University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 2 Eftimie Murgu Square, 300041, Timișoara, Romania

Download Full Article PDF

Melanoma remains one of the most aggressive forms of skin cancer and is frequently associated with treatment resistance. In recent years, natural compounds, particularly flavonoids, have gained increasing attention as potential candidates for complementary treatment strategies for melanoma. Among them, quercetin (QUE) has emerged as a compound of interest. In this context, the present study evaluated the cytotoxic effects of QUE (25 - 200 µM) on the two-dimensional (2D) human melanoma model RPMI 7951. Cell viability was assessed using MTT and NRU assays, while morphological changes were examined by bright-field microscopy. Mitochondrial membrane potential was evaluated using the JC-1 assay, whereas nuclear morphology, F-actin organization, and tubulin distribution were analyzed by immunofluorescence. Pro-apoptotic/necrotic-like changes were assessed by AO/PI dual staining. Cytotoxic effects became more evident at 100 µM, with concentration-dependent reductions in viability and NRU, mitochondrial depolarization, morphological alterations, and cytoskeletal disruption. AO/PI staining further supported apoptosis-associated and membrane-damage-related changes. However, these preliminary findings warrant further investigation in more complex melanoma models.