Anticancer activities of Saudi Juniperus procera extracts and their effects on the regulatory mechanisms in controlling growth of human cancerous cells

Abstract Cancer is one of the most distributed diseases in the world, which has been associated with a high number of mortalities compared to other diseases. Compared to traditional cancer treatment methods such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, anti-cancer medicinal plants are mor safer due to their minimum side effects. The Juniperus procera plant is one of medicinal plants used in traditional Saudi medicine, and its extract is used to treat many diseases including cancer. In this study, we investigated the anticancer impacts of J. procera extracts and their potential anticancer activities on breast, ovarian and liver cancers with the focus on the first type. Phytochemical analysis revealed that the fruit extract had higher amount of total phenolics while the leaf extract was richer in flavonoids. The fruit extract showed more antioxidant and cytotoxicity activities against breast, ovarian, and liver cancers. MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231, breast cancer cell lines were further investigated using the fruit extract. Both cell lines were arrested in S phase and G1 phase, respectively. Nuclear fragmentations and apoptosis were triggered in both cell lines. ROS was increased and the cell migration was inhibited. PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway was down regulated. Aromatase gene expression was decreased in MCF-7 and increased in MDA-MB-231. Both extracts were selective toward cancer cells rather than the normal cells (SI > 2). Fruit and leaf extracts have significant antitumor activities, and such activity was more pronounced in the fruit extract than leaf extract. This study highlights the importance of J. procera leaf and fruit as an anti-cancer.