Abstract
Rutin is a well-known flavonoid and found in green plants, exerts various biological functions, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antitumor. In the present study, rutin was isolated from green leaves of Zea mays (Z. mays) and characterized by NMR and LC-MS and its cytotoxicity and apoptotic potential were investigated on colorectal adenocarcinoma (HT-29) and human hepatocellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells. The cytotoxic effect of various dose of rutin was examined by using MTS and LDH assays. The effect of rutin on the generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) and expression of chromosome condensation in HT-29 and HepG2 cells were examined DCFDA and Hoechst 33342 staining assay. Rutin significantly reduced cell viability and enhanced oxidative stress in a dose-dependent manner. Rutin led to decline the glutathione and increased caspase-3 activity in HepG2 cells. In both cells, exposure to rutin repressed apoptosis, confirming anticancerous effects of rutin. Furthermore, the rutin mediated anti cancerous effects correlated with oxidative stress provide experimental evidence to support the potential use of rutin as a drug therapy for human hepatic and colon carcinoma cells.