Characterization of isoquinolin alkaloids from Fumaria agraria and evaluation of their antiproliferative activity against human breast cancer cell lines

Fumaria agraria (Fumariaceae) is an annual plant used traditionally in Algeria for various medicinal purposes. Alkaloids extracts from areal parts were subjected to solvent fractionation and GCMS analysis. Rates of alkaloids recorded were respectively of 700 mg/100 g of Dry Weight of total alkaloids “TA”, 400 mg/100 g DWof neutral fraction “NF”, 40 mg/100 g DW of acid fraction “AF” and 250 mg/100 g DWof the basic fraction “BF”. Protopine was found to be the most potent alkaloid of the total extract (41.55%). Fractionation showed that Protopine was found essentially in the BF fraction (60.7%). Antiproliferative activities of total alkaloids extract and BF fraction were assessed on MCF-7 and MDAMB- 231 breast cancer and MCF10A mammary normal cell lines, by trypan blue exclusion essay. Both TA extract and BF fraction showed potent antiproliferative activities against MCF-7 breast cancer cells in varying degrees with respective IC50 of 47.8 ± 1.8 µg/ml and 17.6 ± 0.4 µM, without cell death induction but no impact was observed on normal MCF-10A cell growth. MCF7 Cell line was most sensitive (IC50 of 17,6 ± 0,4µM) to BF fraction effect than MDAMB-231 one (IC50 of 36,4 ± 0,6µM). Isoquinolein alkaloids of Fumaria agraria and specially the fraction which contain Protopine showed potent antiproliferative activity against breast cancer cells.