Eureka Herba Indonesia
Vol. 6 No. 2 (2025): Eureka Herba Indonesia

Apoptotic Induction and Cell-Cycle Arrest in Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Cells by Annona muricata Acetogenin Fractions: An In Silico and In Vitro Study

Lestini Wulansari (Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Phlox Institute, Palembang, Indonesia)
Leonardo Simanjuntak (Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, CMHC Research Center, Palembang, Indonesia)
Vania Delma (Department of Nursing, Brasilia Familia Clinic, Brasilia, Brazil)



Article Info

Publish Date
30 Jun 2026

Abstract

Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is an aggressive molecular subtype that lacks oestrogen, progesterone and HER2 receptors and retains cytotoxic chemotherapy as its principal systemic option, creating a rationale for adjunctive phytotherapy. Annona muricata L. (Annonaceae), known in Indonesia as sirsak, contains Annonaceous acetogenins with well-documented mitochondrial and apoptotic activity. This study integrated molecular docking with in vitro pharmacology to characterise the anticancer effects of an HPLC-standardised acetogenin-enriched fraction (AEF) from Indonesian A. muricata leaves on TNBC cells. Annonacin, bullatacin, squamocin and muricatacin were docked against EGFR, Bcl-2, CDK2, caspase-3 and topoisomerase II-α (AutoDock Vina); AEF was tested on MDA-MB-231 and MDA-MB-468 TNBC cells with MCF-10A non-tumorigenic controls (n = 6 independent biological replicates per arm). Outcomes included viability (MTT), apoptosis (Annexin-V/PI), cell-cycle distribution (propidium iodide), caspase-3/7 luminescence, Western blotting (Bcl-2, Bax, cleaved caspase-3, cyclin D1, p21) and mitochondrial ΔΨm/ROS. Bullatacin showed the strongest binding to Bcl-2 (ΔG = −9.6 kcal/mol) and caspase-3 (ΔG = −8.9 kcal/mol). AEF inhibited MDA-MB-231 viability with IC50 12.4 µg/mL (95% CI 10.8–14.1) and yielded a selectivity index of 4.20 over MCF-10A. Apoptotic cells increased 4.62-fold, the G1 fraction rose from 41.2% to 64.8% (p < 0.001), caspase-3/7 activity rose 3.81-fold and the Bcl-2/Bax ratio decreased by 61%. In conclusion, bullatacin-rich Annona muricata acetogenins selectively induce intrinsic apoptosis and G1 arrest in TNBC cells, supporting their further translational development as Indonesian phytotherapeutic leads for hormone-refractory breast cancer.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

EHI

Publisher

Subject

Medicine & Pharmacology

Description

Eureka Herba Indonesia (EHI) is peer review scientific journal that focused on reserach in exploration potential Herba of Indonesia for enhancing healthy. EHI focused on : 1. Medicinal Plants. 2. Efficacy of Herba Study. 3. Safety of Herba Study. 4. Animals that potential for developing as healthy ...