Apoptosis-Inducing Effect of Pogostemin A Isolated from the Aerial Parts ofPogostemon auriculariusAgainst the Human Lung Cancer Cells

The extracts or compounds isolated from Pogostemon spp. (Lamiaceae) showed various potential biological activities such as antimicrobial, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, as well as cytotoxicity. In our previous studies, pogostemin A (new compound), isolated from the aerial of Pogostemon auricularius, showed strong cytotoxic activities. Herein, our aim of the study was to investigate apoptosis induction activity of pogostemin A on SK-LU-1 human lung cancer cells. Pogostemin A was isolated from the aerial parts of P. auricularius growing in Vietnam. Apoptosis, as the type of cell death, was assessed morphologically by Hoechst staining activity and evaluation of the cell surface phosphatidylserine (PS) expression through annexin V/PI staining. Overall, the obtained data suggests that pogostemin A induced apoptosis in lung cancer cells at a concentration of 20 μg/mL, with the percentages of both early and late apoptotic cells found to be 14.9 % and 12.6 %, respectively, meanwhile, the negative control showed that only 9.8 % early apoptotic cells and 5.5 % late apoptotic cells. Pogostemin A, a new meroterpenoid with pyronesesquiterpenoid hybrid skeletons induced apoptotic cell death in lung cancer cells by activation of caspase 3.