Our results show that G extract and luteolin cause G2/M cell cycle arrest and trigger

apoptosis likely through the inhibition of UHRF1/DNMT1 tandem expression, followed by an up-regulation of p16 INK4A . Materials and methods Materials Limoniastrum guyonianum samples were collected from El Hamâ at Gabbes (a region situated in southern Tunisia). Dr. Fethia Skhiri (Department of Botany, Higher Institute of Biotechnology, University of Monastir) performed sample identification and verification according to the Tunisian Guide on Flora [30]. A voucher specimen (#L.g-10.09) was preserved for future reference. Luteolin (> 90% of purity) was purchased FDA-approved Drug Library nmr from Extrasynthese (Genay, France). 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazoliumbromide (MTT) was from Euromedex (Mundolsheim, France), propidium iodide (PI), Tris Buffered Saline with tween 20 (TBST) and dimethylsulfoxide (DMSO) from Sigma-Aldrich (St. Quentin Fallavier, France). selleck products Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle’s Medium (DMEM), fetal calf serum (FCS), trypsin and L-glutamine were purchased from Invitrogen Life Technologies (Cergy Pontoise,

France). Folin-Ciocalteu phenol reagent was obtained from BDH laboratory (Poole, England). Sodium carbonate (Na2CO3) was purchased from Acros Organics (Geel, Belgium). Nitrite sodium (NaNO2) and aluminum chloride (AlCl3) were procured from Aldrich (Steinheim, Germany). Preparation of plant extract The collected gall samples were shade-dried, powdered, and then stored in a tightly closed container for further use. When needed, powdered gall (100 g) was extracted in boiling water (1 L) for 15–20 min and after filtration, the aqueous extract was frozen and then lyophilized and kept at 4°C. The total aqueous extract concentrate

yield (per gram dried plant material) was determined using the formula: Palmatine 100 x weight (g) of dried extract/dry-weight (g) of plant material. The actual percentage yield in this study was 17.8%. From this material, extract solutions containing different concentrations from 100 to 300 μg/ml were then prepared for use in the evaluation of their cytotoxic and pro-apoptotic effects on HeLa cells. The polyphenol content of L. guyonianum gall aqueous extract was quantified by the Folin-Ciocalteau method [31, 32] and was expressed as gallic acid equivalent. Aliquots of test sample (100 μl) were mixed with 2.0 ml of 2% Na2CO3 and incubated at room temperature for 2 min. After the addition of 100 μl of 50% Folin-Ciocalteau phenol reagent, the reaction tube was incubated for 30 min at room temperature, and finally absorbance was read at 720 nm. A known volume of the extract was placed in a 10 ml volumetric flask to estimate flavonoid content [33]. After addition of 75 μl of NaNO2 (5%), 150 μl of freshly prepared AlCl3 (10%), and 500 μl of NaOH (1 N), the volume was adjusted with distilled water until 2.5 ml.