Romanian Society of Pharmaceutical Sciences

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LIGUSTRUM VULGARE HYDROALCOHOLIC EXTRACT INDUCES APOPTOTIC CELL DEATH IN HUMAN PRIMARY BRAIN TUMOUR CELLS

LIGIA GABRIELA TĂTĂRANU 1#, ADA MARIA GEORGESCU 2#, SANDRA ALICE BUTEICĂ 3#, ISABELA SILOȘI 2#, GEORGE DAN MOGOȘANU 4#, ȘTEFANA OANA PURCARU 2#, OANA ALEXANDRU 2#, OLIVIAN PUIU STOVICEK 5#, CORINA BRÎNDUȘA 2#, MONICA DOȘA 6#, CITTO IULIAN TAISESCU 7#, ANICA DRICU 2#*

1.Department of Neurosurgery, “Bagdasar-Arseni” Emergency Clinical Hospital, 12 Berceni Street, 041915, Bucharest, Romania
2.Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 2 Petru Rareș Street, 200349, Craiova, Romania
3.Department of Drug Control, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 2 Petru Rareș Street, 200349, Craiova, Romania
4.Department of Pharmacognosy-Phytotherapy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 2 Petru Rareș Street, 200349, Craiova, Romania
5.Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 2 Petru Rareș Street, 200349, Craiova, Romania
6.Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, “Ovidius” University of Constanța, 1 Aleea Universității Street, Constanța, Romania
7.Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Medicine and Pharmacy of Craiova, 2 Petru Rareș Street, 200349, Craiova, Romania

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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 dose-dependent 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.