Sowemimo A., ven de Venter M., Baatjies L., Koekemoer T.
Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lagos, College of Medicine Campus, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Nigeria; Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth 6031, South Africa
Sowemimo, A., Department of Pharmacognosy, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Lagos, College of Medicine Campus, Idi-Araba, Lagos, Nigeria; ven de Venter, M., Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth 6031, South Africa; Baatjies, L., Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth 6031, South Africa; Koekemoer, T., Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth 6031, South Africa
Herbal medicines have received much attention as a source of new anticancer drugs. However, scientific studies have been conducted to a limited extent with few medicinal plants. This study investigates the cytotoxic activity of some Nigerian medicinal plants used locally in the treatment of cancer. The ethanolic extracts of five plants were evaluated using the MTT assay on the HT29 and MCF-7 cell lines. Sapium ellipticum leaves showed a greater cytotoxic activity than Combretum paniculatum, Celosia trigyna, Drymaria cordata and Cyathula prostata and it was comparable to the activity of the reference compound Cisplatin in the MCF-7 cell line. In the HT29 cell line, all the plants showed less than 50% activity at 500 μg/ml. The results showed that Sapium exhibited a greater cytotoxic activity than all the plants tested and this provides scientific evidence to support the traditional use of the plant. © 2011 Academic Journals.
3 (4,5 dimethyl 2 thiazolyl) 2,5 diphenyltetrazolium bromide; antineoplastic agent; Celosia trigyna extract; cisplatin; combretum paniculatum extract; Cyathula prostata extract; Drymaria cordata extract; plant extract; Sapium ellipticum extract; unclassified drug; antineoplastic activity; article; cancer chemotherapy; cancer therapy; cell strain HT29; cell strain MCF 7; Celosia trigyna; Combretum paniculatum; controlled study; Cyathula prostata; drug cytotoxicity; drug effect; drug mechanism; drug screening; drug use; Drymaria cordata; herbal medicine; medicinal plant; Nigeria; plant leaf; Sapium ellipticum; Celosia trigyna; Combretum paniculatum; Cyathula; Drymaria cordata; Sapium