Abstract:
Daucus carota ssp. carota, known as wild carrot, is a member of the family
Umbelliferae (Apiacae), and commonly used in the folklore medicine in Lebanon to
treat several diseases including cancer. Its oil extract and fractions exhibited antioxidant,
anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer activities. Daucus carota oil extract was
chromatographed on silica gel column and produced four fractions: pentane (F1), 50:50
pentane:diethyl ether (F2), diethyl ether (F3), 93:7 chloroform:methanol (F4) fractions.
The four fractions were tested against A549, Caco-2, MB-MDA-231, B16F-10, and SF-
268 cancer cells and F2 demonstrated the highest activity. The major compound of F2
was isolated and identified by GC-MS and NMR spectroscopy as 2-himachalene-6-ol,
and found to be unique to the Lebanese Daucus carota. 2 himachalene-6-ol showed
promising anti-proliferative and anti-metastatic abilities against the used cells, with high
sensitivity against SF-268 cells. Staining with Annexin V and PI, using flow cytometry,
showed that 2 himachalene-6-ol treatment induced cellular death through necrosis.
Moreover, time lapse movies and wound healing assays demonstrated that 2
himachalene-6-ol decreased 2D cellular motility in SF-268 cells in vitro. Adhesion and
3D invasion assays done also showed that the treatment decreased SF-268 cellular
adhesion and invasion on collagen in vitro. The significance of the study is that 2
himachalene-6-ol could be considered towards reaching a potential cancer therapy
targeting proliferation and apoptosis, as well as cancer motility and metastasis.
