Potential Anticancer Activity of Alcea rosea and Molecular Docking of Selected Target Proteins in Liver Cancer Cells

The incidence of cancer is rising globally.In this study, the cytotoxic effects of Alcea rosea L., hexane seed (ARHS) extract were examined against liver (HuH-7) and breast (MDA-MB-231) human cancer cell lines, as well as non-cancerous HUVEC cell line.The ARHS extract displayed dose-dependent cytotoxic effects on HuH-7 and MDA-MB-231 cells, with respective IC 50 values of 2.39 and 5.67 g/mL.Additionally, the ARHS extract impeded the migration of HuH-7 cells in a time-dependent fashion.Morphological assessments showed characteristics indicative of apoptosis in the treated cells.ARHS extract induced ROS production in HuH-7 cells.This study revealed that the A. rosea hexane extract effectively inhibited HuH-7 cell growth by inducing apoptosis, as evidenced by the changes in cell and nuclear morphology observed using DAPI and AO/EBr staining.Heptadeca-8,11-dien-1-yl demonstrated the highest docking score, forming three hydrogen bonds with the amino acids ARG-842A, ALA-1050A, and ASP-1052A in the 4ASD receptor.Although it has potential as an anticancer agent, additional research is needed to explore the in vivo anticancer efficacy.