Cytotoxic Effect and Chemical Composition of Inula viscosa from Three Different Regions of Morocco

Aims: Worldwide, growing interest was given to find new cytotoxic agents that could be used in breast cancer treatment. In this context, we have planned to evaluate cytotoxic activity of Inula viscosa extracts, on two breast cancer cell lines. The plant was harvested in three different regions of Morocco; Imouzzer, Tounate and Sefrou.

Methodology: The evaluation of cytotoxicity of Inula viscosa ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts of the three regions was performed by measuring cell viability using the WST1 test after 72 h of exposure.

Results: The IC50 of the various tested extracts vary between 100 and 400 µg /ml. Sefrou ethanol and ethyl acetate extracts presented the best activities with IC50 values of 195.42 µg/ml and 112.20 µg/ml, respectively. Chemical analysis of tested extracts showed that the composition of Inula viscosa extracts varies by region and impact the corresponding activity. Moreover, the cytotoxic activity of Inula viscosa is strongly related to the presence of tomentosine, inuviscolide and isocostic acid.

Conclusion: These preliminary results provide evidence that Inula viscosa induces a significant cytotoxic effect on both human cancer cell line, MCF-7 and MDA-MB231. This cytotoxic activity could be attributed to the presence and the concentration of tomentosine, inuviscolide and isocostic acid.