Antitumor activities of some Bellis perennis L. fractions

Bellis perennis L. has been used traditionally in the treatment of wounds, catarrh, rheumatism, arthritis, liver, kidney and respiratory tract disorders [1–3]. In this study, antitumor activities of nine different fractions (F.1, 3–4, 5, 6–7, 8, 9, 10–11, 12, 13–15) of B. perennis at different concentrations (10000, 1000 and 100mg/l) were evaluated using the Agrobacterium tumefaciens Potato Disc Tumor Bioassay modified by McLaughlin's group [4]. The inhibition of A. tumefaciens-induced tumors (or crown gall) in potato disc tissue is an assay based on antimitotic activity and can detect a broad range of known and novel antitumor efffects [5,6]. The validity of this bioassay is predicted on the observation that certain tumorigenic mechanisms are similar in plants and animals. It has been shown that the inhibition of crown gall tumor initiation on potato discs and subsequent growth showed good correlation with compounds and extracts active in the 3PS (P388) (in vivo murine leukemia) leukemic mouse assay [6,7]. All tested fractions at all concentrations showed tumor inhibitions. However, 100% tumor inhibition was observed with F.10–11at 10.000mg/l similar to Camptothecin (positive control).

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4. Ferrigini, N.R. et. al. (1982). J. Nat. Prod. 45:679–686.

5. McLaughlin, J.L., Rogers, L.L. (1998). Drug Inf. J. 32:513–524.

6. Coker, P.S. et. al. (2003). Phytomedicine, 10:133–138.

7. Galsky, A.G. et. al. (1980). Plant Physiol., 65:184–185.