LIGUSTRUM VULGARE HYDROALCOHOLIC EXTRACT INDUCES
APOPTOTIC CELL DEATH IN HUMAN PRIMARY BRAIN TUMOUR
CELLS
LIGIA GABRIELA TĂTĂRANU1#, ADA MARIA GEORGESCU2#, SANDRA ALICE BUTEICĂ3#, ISABELA SILOȘI2#, GEORGE DAN MOGOȘANU4#, ȘTEFANA OANA PURCARU2#, OANA ALEXANDRU2#, OLIVIAN PUIU STOVICEK5#, CORINA BRÎNDUȘA2#, MONICA DOȘA6#,
CITTO IULIAN TAISESCU7#, ANICA DRICU2#*
1Department of Neurosurgery, “Bagdasar-Arseni” Emergency Clinical Hospital, 12 Berceni Street, 041915, Bucharest,
Romania
2Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 2 Petru Rareș Street,
200349, Craiova, Romania
3Department of Drug Control, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 2 Petru Rareș Street,
200349, Craiova, Romania
4Department of Pharmacognosy-Phytotherapy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 2
Petru Rareș Street, 200349, Craiova, Romania
5Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 2 Petru Rareș Street,
200349, Craiova, Romania
6Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, “Ovidius” University of Constanța, 1 Aleea Universității Street,
Constanța, Romania
7Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 2 Petru Rareș Street,
200349, Craiova, Romania
*corresponding author: anica.dricu@live.co.uk, anica.dricu@umfcv.ro
#All authors contributed equally to this work.
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Abstract:
Glioblastomas and astrocytomas are neoplasms that arise from brain cells called astrocytes, tumours known to be more
resistant to chemotherapy than other types of brain tumours. Medical research has turned its attention towards the field of
natural products; these compounds have been used in cancer treatment and prevention for the last 50 years. The aim of this
study was to investigate the effect of Ligustrum vulgare hydroalcoholic extract (LVHE) on the brain tumours cell viability.
Our results showed that LVHE extract induced cell death in early passage low- and high-grade glioma cells by triggering
caspase 3 activation. The effect of the LVHE in glioma cells was then compared to its effects on normal cells, using a Human
Umbilical Cord-derived cell line for the assessment of LVHE effect on normal tissue. LVHE induced time- and dosedependent
decreases of the viability in glioma cells, causing apoptosis, as confirmed by caspase 3 activation. We also found
that LVHE treatment was more cytotoxic in glioma cells then in normal cells.

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