article · Scientific Reports
Evaluation of leaf extracts from the ornamental plant Tecoma stans identified specific chemical fractions and compounds with anticancer properties in laboratory cell cultures. Testing across human lung adenocarcinoma and ovarian carcinoma cell lines revealed that a dichloromethane fraction was most potent, particularly against ovarian carcinoma cells. Metabolomic profiling annotated 107 compounds and highlighted chrysoeriol, alongside other metabolites, as key contributors to this activity. Both the dichloromethane fraction and purified chrysoeriol halted the cell cycle at the sub-G1 phase, triggered apoptosis, and slowed cell migration in scratch wound healing tests. Mechanistic testing showed these treatments activated caspase-3 while suppressing oncogenic and metastatic markers, including p-STAT3, Bcl-2, and MMP-2. The findings demonstrate that Tecoma stans leaves contain biologically active molecules capable of inducing cancer cell death and suppressing tumour-promoting proteins in vitro.
Ovarian cancer remains difficult to treat, driving demand for new therapeutic leads from natural sources. By linking specific plant metabolites to the suppression of tumour growth and migration pathways in cell models, this research uncovers candidate molecules that could inform future drug discovery programmes targeting aggressive cancers.
This work presents early-stage laboratory research that could assist pharmaceutical researchers and biotechnology developers screening plant-derived molecules for anticancer drug development. Chrysoeriol and active leaf fractions serve as starting points for natural product drug discovery programmes. Because findings are limited to in vitro cell line evaluations, considerable preclinical validation, animal testing, and formulation development remain necessary before any therapeutic application can be considered.
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Tecoma stans is an ornamental plant recognized for its diverse biological activities, including notable cytotoxic effects. This study integrates LC-MS/MS-guided biochemometric analysis with mechanistic cytotoxicity evaluation to prioritize metabolites potentially associated with the cytotoxic activity of T. stans leaves. The hydroalcoholic extract and its solvent fractions n-hexane (HEX), dichloromethane (DCM), and ethyl acetate (EAC) were assessed for in vitro cytotoxicity against human lung adenocarcinoma (A549) and ovarian carcinoma (SKOV-3) cell lines using the MTT assay. Comprehensive LC-MS/MS-based metabolomic profiling and biochemometric correlation analysis were performed on the DCM fraction. The major correlated compound, chrysoeriol (CRY), was isolated and, along with the DCM fraction, subjected to cell cycle analysis, apoptosis assays, scratch wound healing assays, and ELISA-based quantification of apoptotic and metastatic markers (caspase-3, p-STAT3, Bcl-2, and MMP-2) in SKOV-3 cells. The DCM fraction exhibited the highest potency, particularly against SKOV-3 cells (IC₅₀ = 18.50 µg/mL). Metabolomic profiling led to the annotation of 107 metabolites, where CRY, α-sulfoquinovosyl monoacylglyceride (α-SQMG), tecomanine, and hydroxyskytanthine were prioritized as metabolites potentially associated with cytotoxic activity. DCM induced pronounced sub-G₁ arrest (71.42%, P < 0.0005) and increased late apoptosis to 23.32%, whereas CRY elevated sub-G₁ accumulation to 48.02% and late apoptosis to 12.22% (P < 0.0005). Furthermore, both treatments markedly reduced scratch wound closure and modulated key signaling pathways through caspase-3 activation and suppression of p-STAT3, Bcl-2, and MMP-2. The CRY and DCM fraction of T. stans leaves exerted their cytotoxic effects against SKOV-3 cells through the induction of apoptosis, wound closure inhibition and modulation of key oncogenic proteins. This study provides the first biochemometric and mechanistic validation of T. stans leaves DCM fraction and CRY in SKOV-3 cells, highlighting the potential combined contribution of its phytochemical constituents.
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DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-67317-z
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