Petroleum ether extract of Chenopodium album L. prevents cell growth and induces apoptosis of human lung cancer cells.

Chenopodium album L. is a common edible herb distributed in China that has been used as a traditional Chinese medicine for antiviral, antifungal, anti-inflammatory and cancer treatment. However, to the best of our knowledge no previous reports have investigated its the function of its phytochemical extracts in lung cancer cells. The purpose of the present study was to assess the anticancer activities of the phytochemical extracts of C. album L. on human non-small cell lung cancer A549 cells. The present findings demonstrated that the petroleum ether (PE) extract of C. album L. exhibited significant growth inhibitory effects on A549 with an IC50 value of 33.31±2.79 µg/ml. As determined by MTT and colony formation assays, its growth inhibitory effects were dose- and time-dependent. Furthermore, PE extract-treated A549 cells exhibited dose-dependent cell growth arrest at the G1 phase of the cell cycle and cell apoptosis was induced. These results provide useful data on the anticancer activities of C. album L. in human lung cancer and demonstrated the novel possibilities of this plant in developing lung cancer therapies.