Bioactive treasures in scorpion exuviae: anticancer insights from Hottentotta saulcyi extract fractions

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Bioactive treasures in scorpion exuviae: anticancer insights from Hottentotta saulcyi extract fractions

Abstract

Despite significant improvements in cancer treatment, the development of therapeutic resistance remains a major cause of treatment failure. Therefore, the discovery of new anticancer agents is still necessary. Scorpions have a long history of use in traditional and specialized medicines, including anticancer applications, and have shown promise in modulating biological processes. They are of medical importance both globally and in the Kurdistan Region. However, there is still limited scientific evidence regarding their potential in cancer therapy. This study evaluated the natural organic compounds of whole-body scorpion extracts using GC–MS analysis and determined the in vitro cytotoxic effects of n-hexane (HO-Hex) and methanol (HO-Me) extracts against SW480, Calu-6, PC-3, HT29, AGS, and LNCaP cancer cell lines. The MTT assay was used to determine the effects of the extracts on cancer cells, expressed as the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50). The IC50 values ranged from 26.41 to 215.22 µg/ml. The results showed high selectivity of the n-hexane extract against the prostatic small cell carcinoma PC-3 cell line. These findings support the idea that whole-body scorpion extract may represent a promising strategy for cancer treatment. Importantly, the inclusion of both the AR-insensitive PC-3 model and the AR-sensitive LNCaP model strengthened the biological relevance of the prostate cancer evaluation.

Abdullah, F.O., Hussen, F.S. & Ahmed, A.I. Bioactive treasures in scorpion exuviae: anticancer insights from Hottentotta saulcyi extract fractions. Proc.Indian Natl. Sci. Acad. (2026). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43538-026-00968-8