In vitro anticancer activity of extracted oil from Parrotiopsis jacquemontiana (Decne) Rehder

• Plant-extracted oils possess various medicinal activities including anticancer potential. • Parrotiopsis jacquemontiana extracted oil was assessed against HCCLM3 and MDA-MB 231 cells for the first time. • The oil successfully inhibited the proliferation, migration, and invasion of cancer cells. • Annexin‒V/PI staining assay showed maximum apoptotic percentage against cancer cells at 72 hours. Parrotiopsis jacquemontiana , commonly referred to as “Beranj” in the local community, is widely used traditionally and has numerous health benefits. However, no studies have been conducted to investigate its anticancer potential, particularly its extracted oil. The present study was put forth to appraise the anticancer potential of Parrotiopsis jacquemontiana extracted oil against liver (hcclm3 and hepg2) and breast cancer (mda-mb 231 and mcf-7) cell lines relative to normal cell lines (lo2 and mcf-10a) via MTT assay. Flow cytometry indicated the apoptotic effect whereas invasion and migration capabilities of oil against cancer cells were determined by Matrigel invasion chamber and wound-scratch assays. The results of oil revealed a time and dose-dependent increase in cell proliferation inhibition, conferring to least IC50 shown against hcclm3 (144.9 ± 0.75 μg/ml) and mda-mb 231 (145.7 ± 0.32 μg/ml) cell line at 72 h, whereas no cytotoxic effect on normal cells was observed. In addition, the oil significantly ( p < 0.001) suppressed the migration and invasion of hcclm3 and mda-mb 231 cells, showing noteworthy anti-metastatic potential. Furthermore, cell death was confirmed by Annexin‒V/PI staining where the maximum apoptotic percentage was calculated for oil (200 μg/ml) alongside mda-mb 231 conferring to 15.36 ± 1.22, 26.7 ± 1.2, and 36.43 ± 1.65 at 24, 48, and 72 h whereas 12.33 ± 1.05, 19.36 ± 1.62, and 29.3 ± 0.79 was recorded alongside hcclm3 at similar time intervals, respectively. In conclusion, the extracted oil exhibited strong anti-proliferative, anti-metastatic, and apoptotic effects and therefore may have potential applications in cancer treatment, however, further studies of oil regarding the action mechanisms and compounds involved in anticancer therapy are necessary.