Taraxacum officinale Flower Aqueous Extract Suppresses Oxidative Stress and Induces Apoptosis in HCT116 Colorectal Cancer Cells

Abstract

Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) flowers have health benefits due to their potent antioxidant properties. However, the mechanism by which flower extract can fight against cancer has not been discovered yet. This study aimed to investigate the anticancer mechanisms of T. officinale flower extract (TOFE) against colorectal cancer HCT116 cells. We employed models of oxidative stress caused by hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) in HCT116 cells to investigate TOFE anti-cancer and antioxidant properties in vitro. After being pre-treated for 24 h with TOFE, the cells were subjected to H2O2. In H2O2-treated cells, TOFE restored the activity of the antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase, decreased the intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels, and enhanced caspase-3 activity. Real-time PCR showed that HCT116 treated with TOFE had downregulated Bcl2 expression and upregulated expression of the pro-apoptotic genes (Bax) and antioxidant markers (Nrf2, HO-1). By redox regulation and apoptosis induction, TOFE showed anticancer activity with HCT116 cytotoxicity (IC50 = 111.30 μg/mL). These findings position TOFE as a promising natural adjuvant for colorectal cancer therapy, particularly in overcoming oxidative stress-related chemoresistance. Further in vivo studies and clinical trials are warranted to validate its efficacy and explore synergies with conventional treatments.