Taraxacum officinale Flower Aqueous Extract Suppresses Oxidative Stress and Induces Apoptosis in HCT116 Colorectal Cancer Cells

El-Hofey, Salma M.; Farrag, Foad A.; Gewaily, Mahmoud S.; El-Magd, Mohammed A.

doi:10.21608/ejvs.2025.374952.2778

Taraxacum officinale Flower Aqueous Extract Suppresses Oxidative Stress and Induces Apoptosis in HCT116 Colorectal Cancer Cells

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

Department of Anatomy & Embryology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Kafrelsheikh University, 33516, Kafrelsheikh, Egypt.

10.21608/ejvs.2025.374952.2778

Abstract

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) flowers have health benefits due to their potent antioxidant properties. However, the mechanism by which flower extract can fight against cancer has not been discovered yet. This study aimed to investigate the anticancer mechanisms of T. officinale flower extract (TOFE) against colorectal cancer HCT116 cells. We employed models of oxidative stress caused by hydrogen peroxide (H₂O₂) in HCT116 cells to investigate TOFE anti-cancer and antioxidant properties in vitro. After being pre-treated for 24 h with TOFE, the cells were subjected to H₂O₂. In H₂O₂-treated cells, TOFE restored the activity of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase, decreased the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and enhanced caspase-3 activity. Real-time PCR showed that HCT116 treated with TOFE had downregulated Bcl2 expression and upregulated expression of the pro-apoptotic genes (Bax) and antioxidant markers (Nrf2, HO-1). By redox regulation and apoptosis induction, TOFE showed anticancer activity with HCT116 cytotoxicity (IC₅₀= 111.30 μg/mL). These findings position TOFE as a promising natural adjuvant for colorectal cancer therapy, particularly in overcoming oxidative stress-related chemoresistance. Further in vivo studies and clinical trials are warranted to validate its efficacy and explore synergies with conventional treatments.

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