In vitro Analysis of the Anticancer and Antidiabetic Effects of Teucrium orientale Leaf Hydrophilic Extract Grown in Two Palestinian Geographic Areas

Several studies have demonstrated that Teucrium orientale (T. orientale) species have therapeutic advantages, such as antioxidant, bacteriostatic, spasmolytic, and anti-inflammatory activity. This study aimed to assess the possible antidiabetic and anticancer activities of T. orientale leaf hydrophilic extracts collected from two distinct geographic regions in Palestine: Jerusalem and Ramallah. T. orientale hydrophilic extract was tested for its antidiabetic and anticancer properties on α-amylase activity and Lewis Lung Carcinoma (LLC) cells, respectively. The anticancer effect on LLC was evaluated by flow cytometry for cell proliferation and Annexin-V/propidium iodide (PI) staining for cell apoptosis. The T. orientale extract from Jerusalem had an IC50 of 7.43±0.84 μg/ml for inhibiting α-amylase enzyme activity, whereas the Ramallah extract had an IC50 value of 23.2±0.29 μg/ml. These values were compared to the positive control, Acarbose, which had an IC50 of 43.91±1.08 μg/ml. LLC cells were treated with one of the two extracts of T. orientale at different concentrations (0, 50, 100, 200, and 400 µg/ml) for 24 hours, and cell proliferation was assessed using an XTT assay. Total inhibition of LLC proliferation was achieved at 400 μg/ml in both extracts. The T. orientale extract from Jerusalem demonstrated a more efficient inhibitory effect at lower concentrations. Increasing concentrations of T. orientale (50, 100, 200, and 400 mg/ml) from the two geographic areas, Ramallah and Jerusalem, had no effect on the apoptosis rate in the control group. In contrast, elevated rates of apoptosis were observed following treatment with T. orientale extract in LLC cells at all tested concentrations, and this was positively associated with the late apoptosis marker Annexin-V+/PI+. Moreover, the T. orientale extract from Jerusalem exhibited an apoptotic rate of 90±3.4% at the highest concentration of 400 mg/ml, compared to 62.6±3.4% following treatment with the Ramallah extract. This suggests that the T. orientale extract from Jerusalem induced apoptosis in LLC cells more efficiently than the extract from Ramallah. The extracts derived from T. orientale show promising potential as a natural antidiabetic and anticancer agent, as evidenced by their ability to inhibit the α-amylase enzyme, impede the growth of LLC cells, and enhance apoptosis. Further in vivo and preclinical investigations are required to validate these effects.