Abstract: The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and flow cytometry were used to analyze the proliferation, cell cycle and apoptosis of human gastric cancer SGC7901 cells in the presence of chive extract. Results showed that 75% ethanol extract from chive (CEE) had the highest antitumor activity among different solvent extracts. There was a significant difference in the antitumor activities of chive extracts from different cultivars of the same geographic origin (P < 0.05). The 75% ethanol extract from chive cultivar No. 3 had the highest antitumor activity with IC50 values at 24, 48 and 72 h of (0.88 ± 0.07), (0.45 ± 0.08), and (0.21 ± 0.03) mg/mL, respectively. The proportion of S-phase cells significantly (P < 0.05) increased after treatment with this chive extract at 1.0 or 2.0 mg/mL for 48 h, indicating that CEE may inhibit cell transformation from S phase to G2 phase. CEE could also induce S phase arrest. Meanwhile, the apoptosis rate in the experimental group increased significantly (P < 0.05) in a dose-dependent manner when compared to the control group. Taken collectively, it is concluded that CEE is a promising natural anti-gastric cancer compound with potential applications in functional food industry for its effective inhibition on cell proliferation and cell cycle, and its promotion on cell apoptosis.

Key words: chive, anticancer activity, human gastric cancer SGC7901 cells