Molecular Profiling and Selective Pro-Apoptotic Activity of a Pruning-Derived Lavandula dentata Leaf-Surface Extract in Colorectal Cancer Cells

Arabi, Shiva Pouramin; Scivicco, Marcello; Parisi, Valentina; Rosa, Emanuele; De Tommasi, Nunziatina; Bader, Ammar; Del Vecchio, Vitale; Cacciola, Nunzio Antonio; Severino, Lorella

doi:10.3390/ijms27125535

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Molecular Profiling and Selective Pro-Apoptotic Activity of a Pruning-Derived Lavandula dentata Leaf-Surface Extract in Colorectal Cancer Cells

by

Shiva Pouramin Arabi

^1,†,

Marcello Scivicco

^2,†,

Valentina Parisi

¹

,

Emanuele Rosa

¹,

Nunziatina De Tommasi

¹

,

Ammar Bader

^3,4,

Vitale Del Vecchio

^5,6,

Nunzio Antonio Cacciola

^2,*

and

Lorella Severino

²

¹

Department of Pharmacy, University of Salerno, 84084 Salerno, Italy

²

Department of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Production, University of Naples Federico II, 80137 Naples, Italy

³

Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Al-Ahliyya Amman University, Amman 19328, Jordan

⁴

Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Pharmacy, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah 21955, Saudi Arabia

⁵

Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, 80138 Naples, Italy

⁶

Department of Life Sciences, Health and Health Professions, Link Campus University, 00165 Roma, Italy

^*

Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.

^†

These authors have contributed equally to this work.

Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27(12), 5535; https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27125535 (registering DOI)

Submission received: 20 May 2026 / Revised: 12 June 2026 / Accepted: 15 June 2026 / Published: 18 June 2026

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Roles of Phytochemicals and Antioxidants in Colon Cancers)

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Abstract

Lavandula dentata is a medicinal and aromatic plant rich in specialised secondary metabolites, but the biomedical potential of leaf-surface metabolites recovered from pruning biomass remains poorly investigated. In this study, a pruning-derived leaf-surface extract of L. dentata was obtained by brief acetone immersion followed by n-hexane partitioning. Its chemical profile was investigated by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography coupled with high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry analysis combined with feature-based molecular networking, which revealed an enrichment in methoxylated flavonoids and pentacyclic triterpenes, including oleanane- and ursane-like derivatives. The biological activity of the extract was evaluated in HCT116 colorectal cancer cells, MDA-MB-231 triple-negative breast cancer cells, and HaCaT keratinocytes. After 24 h treatment, the extract selectively reduced HCT116 cell viability in a concentration-dependent manner, with an IC₅₀ of 27.8 ± 1.049 μg/mL, whereas MDA-MB-231 and HaCaT cells were less sensitive. Mechanistic analyses in HCT116 cells showed increased early and late apoptotic populations, mitochondrial membrane depolarisation, and enhanced cleavage of caspase-9, caspase-3, and PARP. These findings indicate that a chemically profiled L. dentata leaf-surface extract selectively impairs colorectal cancer cell survival by activating mitochondria-mediated apoptosis. The study also supports the valorisation of pruning-derived aromatic plant biomass as a source of bioactive natural products with potential biomedical relevance.

Keywords: Lavandula dentata; leaf-surface extract; pruning residues; methoxylated flavonoids; mitochondria-mediated apoptosis; colon cancer cells

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MDPI and ACS Style

Arabi, S.P.; Scivicco, M.; Parisi, V.; Rosa, E.; De Tommasi, N.; Bader, A.; Del Vecchio, V.; Cacciola, N.A.; Severino, L. Molecular Profiling and Selective Pro-Apoptotic Activity of a Pruning-Derived Lavandula dentata Leaf-Surface Extract in Colorectal Cancer Cells. Int. J. Mol. Sci. 2026, 27, 5535. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27125535

AMA Style

Arabi SP, Scivicco M, Parisi V, Rosa E, De Tommasi N, Bader A, Del Vecchio V, Cacciola NA, Severino L. Molecular Profiling and Selective Pro-Apoptotic Activity of a Pruning-Derived Lavandula dentata Leaf-Surface Extract in Colorectal Cancer Cells. International Journal of Molecular Sciences. 2026; 27(12):5535. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27125535

Chicago/Turabian Style

Arabi, Shiva Pouramin, Marcello Scivicco, Valentina Parisi, Emanuele Rosa, Nunziatina De Tommasi, Ammar Bader, Vitale Del Vecchio, Nunzio Antonio Cacciola, and Lorella Severino. 2026. "Molecular Profiling and Selective Pro-Apoptotic Activity of a Pruning-Derived Lavandula dentata Leaf-Surface Extract in Colorectal Cancer Cells" International Journal of Molecular Sciences 27, no. 12: 5535. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27125535

APA Style

Arabi, S. P., Scivicco, M., Parisi, V., Rosa, E., De Tommasi, N., Bader, A., Del Vecchio, V., Cacciola, N. A., & Severino, L. (2026). Molecular Profiling and Selective Pro-Apoptotic Activity of a Pruning-Derived Lavandula dentata Leaf-Surface Extract in Colorectal Cancer Cells. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 27(12), 5535. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijms27125535

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Molecular Profiling and Selective Pro-Apoptotic Activity of a Pruning-Derived Lavandula dentata Leaf-Surface Extract in Colorectal Cancer Cells

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