Effects of thiosulfinates isolated from Allium tuberosum L. on the growth of human cancer cells

Abstract

To develop Allium tuberosum L. as a cancer preventive food material, thiosulfinates and biological active components were isolated from Allium tuberosum L. and the apoptotic effects of thiosulfinates in human cancer cells were examined. Thiosulfinates decreased viable cell numbers in dose- and time-dependent manners. Thiosulfinates at the 20 μg/mL concentration inhibited more than 60% cell proliferation in HepG2 and A549 human cancer cells, respectively. Also the morphology of cells treated with thiosulfinates of 30 μg/mL concentration was distorted with shrunken cell mass while the cell number was lower than that of control cells. The IC50 values in the HepG2 cells were higher than those of the A549 cells. Thiosulfinates at the 30 μg/mL concentration showed the formation of apoptotic bodies and a nuclear condensation, and an increase in the cell populations of the sub-G1 phase in the HepG2 cells. These results indicate that thiosulfinates from Allium tuberosum L. inhibited cell proliferation in HepG2 via apoptosis.