Fourteen sesquiterpene lactones were isolated from the whole plant of Carpesium abrotanoides L. Their structures were determined on the basis of comprehensive spectroscopic data analysis. All compounds were screened for their cytotoxic activity, and compound 6 showed the strongest activity (IC50 2.73 - 7.21 µM) against five human cancer cell lines, including A549, HepG2, HCT116, MDA-MB-231, and CNE2. Compound 6 was further investigated. Compound 6 effectively induced G2/M cell cycle arrest and ROS accumulation in a dose-dependent manner, which further led to apoptosis in cancer cells. Interestingly, compounds 1 and 6 could also activate protective autophagy, which was reported for the first time in sesquiterpene isolated from Carpesium abrotanoides. In addition, compounds 1 and 6 could induce lysosomal biogenesis by 173.2% and 163.7%, respectively. In sum, sesquiterpene lactones from Carpesium abrotanoides could induce apoptosis and protective autophagy in cancer cells, which provide a serial of compounds with potential clinical applications.
Keywords: Carpesium abrotanoides L.; autophagy; cytotoxic activity; lysosomal biogenesis; sesquiterpene lactone.