hamrouni, L., Abouad Mohamed, I. (2025). Phytochemicals Profiling and Anticancer Activity of Wild Plant Species Extracts from Western Iraq Against Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells. , 15(1), 77-87. doi: 10.36531/ijds.2025.159102.1098
Lamia hamrouni; Ibrahim Abouad Mohamed. "Phytochemicals Profiling and Anticancer Activity of Wild Plant Species Extracts from Western Iraq Against Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells". , 15, 1, 2025, 77-87. doi: 10.36531/ijds.2025.159102.1098
hamrouni, L., Abouad Mohamed, I. (2025). 'Phytochemicals Profiling and Anticancer Activity of Wild Plant Species Extracts from Western Iraq Against Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells', , 15(1), pp. 77-87. doi: 10.36531/ijds.2025.159102.1098
hamrouni, L., Abouad Mohamed, I. Phytochemicals Profiling and Anticancer Activity of Wild Plant Species Extracts from Western Iraq Against Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells. , 2025; 15(1): 77-87. doi: 10.36531/ijds.2025.159102.1098

Phytochemicals Profiling and Anticancer Activity of Wild Plant Species Extracts from Western Iraq Against Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells

IRAQI JOURNAL OF DESERT STUDIES
Volume 15, Issue 1, June 2025, Pages 77-87
Document Type: Research Paper
DOI: 10.36531/ijds.2025.159102.1098
Authors
Lamia hamrouni* 1; Ibrahim Abouad Mohamed2
1INRGREF-IRESA-Université de Carthage
2Université Koufa
Abstract
The study assessed the yield and cytotoxicity of methanolic extracts from Artemisia herba-alba leaves and Peganum harmala seeds. Methanolic extraction yielded 12.54% for A. herba-alba and 7.80% for P. harmala. GC-MS analysis identified several phytochemicals in both extracts, with eugenol being the most prominent compound: notably 57.45% in P. harmala. The cytotoxic potential was evaluated using the MTT assay on A549 lung adenocarcinoma cells and normal human dermal fibroblasts (HdFn).

For A. herba-alba, low concentrations (25–100 µg/mL) caused minimal viability reduction in both cell lines. Significant growth inhibition occurred at higher doses (200–400 µg/mL), with A549 cells showing greater sensitivity (38.04±4.22% inhibition) than HdFn (28.05±0.81%) at 400 µg/mL. IC₅₀ values were 221.6 µg/mL for A549 and 235.4 µg/mL for HdFn, indicating moderate selectivity.

P. harmala seed extract exhibited a stronger and dose-dependent cytotoxic effect. At 400 µg/mL, A549 cell viability was reduced by 58.60±5.75%, while HdFn cells showed a milder decline (27.35±1.96%). All tested concentrations highlighted a clear differential cytotoxicity between cancerous and normal cells. IC₅₀ values were 64.05 µg/mL for A549 and 153.7 µg/mL for HdFn, suggesting a higher anti-cancer selectivity for P. harmala extract.

Overall, both plant extracts demonstrated cytotoxic effects, with P. harmala showing stronger potential against lung cancer cells while maintaining lower toxicity towards normal cells.
Keywords
Phytochemicals; Artemisia herba-alba; Peganum harmala; adenocarcinoma cells
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