ArticleBMC complementary medicine and therapies2021
The pro-apoptosis effects of Echinacea purpurea and Cannabis sativa extracts in human lung cancer cells through caspase-dependent pathway.
Article in BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 16 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
16 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- A Systematic Review of the Molecular and Cellular Alterations Induced by Cannabis That May Serve as Risk Factors for Bipolar Disorder.The international journal of neuropsychopharmacology · 2024Pooled it
- From Phytochemical Diversity to Clinical Translation: Preparation-Dependent Bioactivity ofInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2026Review
- A Comparative Analysis of the Action Mechanisms of Cannabidiol, Cannabigerol, and Cannabinol in Human Cholangiocarcinoma Cell Lines.Molecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Antitumor Activity of Cannabinoids and Their Interaction with Chemotherapy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Preclinical Evidence.Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- Medicinal Plant Seeds in Nutritional Oncology: An Integrative Review of Emerging Therapeutics for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer.Current nutrition reports · 2026Review
- Preclinical model of Echinacea-functionalized silk fibroin-chitosan transparent membranes with enhanced hair follicle regeneration and antibacterial properties for wound healing.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2026Article
- SOX9 expression in circulation and tumor site of lung cancer; diagnostic potential and demographic associations.Molecular biology reports · 2025Article
- Interplay Between Traditional and Scientific Knowledge: Phytoconstituents and Their Roles in Lung and Colorectal Cancer Signaling Pathways.Biomolecules · 2025Review
- Exploring the potential of gemcitabine-metal-organic frameworks in combating pancreatic cancer under ketogenic conditions.BMC cancer · 2025Article
- Correlation between Chemical Fertilization Practices, Phytochemical Response, and Biological Activities ofCombinatorial chemistry & high throughput screening · 2025Review
- Assessment of the circulating levels of immune system checkpoint selected biomarkers in patients with lung cancer.Molecular biology reports · 2024Article
- Cannabidiol exhibits potent anti-cancer activity against gemcitabine-resistant cholangiocarcinoma via ER-stress induction in vitro and in vivo.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2024Article
- Beyond prediction: unveiling the prognostic power of μ-opioid and cannabinoid receptors, alongside immune mediators, in assessing the severity of SARS-CoV-2 infection.BMC infectious diseases · 2024Article
- Article
- How Should the Worldwide Knowledge of Traditional Cancer Healing Be Integrated with Herbs and Mushrooms into Modern Molecular Pharmacology?Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Review
- Cancer Initiation, Progression and Resistance: Are Phytocannabinoids fromMolecules (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundConsidering the advantages of using medicinal herbs as supplementary treatments to sensitize conventional anti-cancer drugs, studying functional mechanisms and regulatory effects of Echinacea purpurea (as a non-cannabinoid plant) and Cannabis sativa (as a cannabinoid plant) are timely and required. The potential effects of such herbs on lung cancer cell growth, apoptosis, cell cycle distribution, cellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) level, caspase activity and their cannabinomimetic properties on the CB2 receptor are addressed in the current study.
methodsThe cytotoxic effect of both herb extracts on the growth of lung cancer cells (A549) was assessed using the MTT assay. The annexin-V-FITC staining and propidium iodide (PI) staining methods were applied for the detection of apoptosis and cell cycle distribution using flow cytometry. The cellular level of ROS was measured using 7'-dichlorofluorescin diacetate (DCFH-DA) as a fluorescent probe in flow cytometry. The caspase 3 activity was assessed using a colorimetric assay Kit.
resultsEchinacea purpurea (EP) root extract induced a considerable decrease in A549 viable cells, showing a time and dose-dependent response. The cell toxicity of EP was accompanied by induction of early apoptosis and cell accumulation at the sub G1 phase of the cell cycle. The elevation of cellular ROS level and caspase 3 activity indicate ROS-induced caspase-dependent apoptosis following the treatment of A549 cells by EP extract. The observed effects of EP extract on A549 growth and death were abrogated following blockage of CB2 using AM630, a specific antagonist of the CB2 receptor. Increasing concentrations of Cannabis sativa (CS) induced A549 cell death in a time-dependent manner, followed by induction of early apoptosis, cell cycle arrest at sub G1 phase, elevation of ROS level, and activation of caspase 3. The CB2 blockage caused attenuation of CS effects on A549 cell death which revealed consistency with the effects of EP extract on A549 cells.
conclusionsThe pro-apoptotic effects of EP and CS extracts on A549 cells and their possible regulatory role of CB2 activity might be attributed to metabolites of both herbs. These effects deserve receiving more attention as alternative anti-cancer agents.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.