Dried Apricot Polyphenols Suppress the Growth of A549 Human Lung Adenocarcinoma Cells by Inducing Apoptosis via a Mitochondrial-Dependent Pathway.

Dried apricots are rich in a variety of polyphenols, which have anti-cancer activity. In this study, 949 phenolic substances were found by means of UPLC-MS/MS, mainly including 2',7-dihydroxy-3',4'-dimethoxyisoflavan, scopoletin, rutin, quercetin-3-O-robinobioside, and elaidolinolenic acid. The results indicated that dried apricot polyphenols (DAPs) could cause cell cycle arrest in the G0/G1 and G2/M phases by decreasing the cyclin D1, CDK4, cyclin B1, CDK1, and CDK6 levels in A549 human lung adenocarcinoma cells. Moreover, the ROS and Bax levels were increased, and the Bcl-2 and mitochondrial membrane potential were decreased in A549 cells treated with DAP, increasing caspase-9, caspase-3, and cleaved-PARP1 activities and leading to apoptosis of the A549 cells. Meanwhile, tumor growth was also inhibited by DAPs in an A549 tumor-bearing mouse model, Bax and caspase-3 were upregulated, and Bcl-2 was downregulated, inducing apoptosis of lung cancer cells. In conclusion, DAPs could inhibit lung cancer cell growth by inducing apoptosis due to cell cycle arrest and mitochondria-dependent pathways.