Anticancer potential of Ipomoea alba: Induction of apoptosis and cell cycle arrest in MDA-MB-231 cells

AbstractCancer is one of the major global health concerns, which supports the investigation of novel therapeutic agents with enhanced potency and minimal side effects. Ipomoea alba, belonging to the Convolvulaceae family, was selected for this study due to its known anti-inflammatory properties and the presence of secondary medical applicability. In this study, the cytotoxic, apoptotic, and cell cycle arrest effects of the methanol extract of Ipomoea alba were evaluated against MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell lines. Cytotoxicity was evaluated using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5 diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay across varying concentrations, revealing an IC50 value of 167.02 µg//mL after 24 hours of treatment. Apoptosis and necrosis were examined through Annexin V/propidium iodide (PI) staining via flow cytometry, with treated cells showing 58.1% apoptosis (p < 0.001) and 16.71% necrosis (p < 0.01) compared to the control. Cell cycle distribution, evaluated using PI/ribonuclease (RNase) staining, revealed a significant increase in the G2/M phase (56.31%, p < 0.001) and a mild increase in the Sub G0/G1 phase (1.12%, p < 0.05), indicating arrest at critical regulatory checkpoints. These findings demonstrate that I. alba methanol extract possesses potent anticancer properties by inducing apoptosis and interfering with cell cycle progression in breast cancer cells. The results suggest its potential as a candidate for anticancer drug development and alternative therapeutic strategies.