Anticancer potential of flavonoids isolated from Pistacia chinensis against glioblastoma (U87) cell line: Extensive in vitro and in silico research

Abstract

Glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) poses significant challenges due to its aggressiveness and resistance to standard therapies, necessitating novel treatments. This study evaluates the anticancer potential of flavonoids isolated from Pistacia chinensis against the glioblastoma U87 cell line. Two flavonoids, 2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-5,7-dihydroxy-4H-chromen-4-one (Compound 1) and 2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-7,8-dihydroxy-3-methoxy-4H-chromen-4-one (Compound 2), were isolated using column chromatography and analyzed through in silico techniques, including molecular docking, density functional theory (DFT), and pharmacokinetic profiling. In vitro studies revealed dose- and time-dependent cytotoxicity, with Compound 1 demonstrating higher activity, reducing U87 cell viability by up to 70.11% after 48 h at 75 μg/mL. Molecular docking demonstrated its strong binding affinity to mTOR (−10.391 kcal/mol), while DFT confirmed its structural stability. Both compounds displayed favorable absorption, distribution, metabolism, excretion, and toxicity (ADMET) profiles, supporting their potential as therapeutic candidates. These findings underscore the significant anti-GBM activity of flavonoids, particularly Compound 1, warranting further in vivo studies to explore their clinical potential as effective GBM treatments.

Keywords

Pistacia chinensis / Flavonoids / Cancer / In silico / Molecular docking / Density functional theory / ADMET

Funding

None.

Conflict of interest

Marcello Iriti is an Editorial Board Member of this journal but was not in any way involved in the editorial and peer-review process conducted for this paper, directly or indirectly. Separately, other authors declared that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have influenced the work reported in this paper.

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