Planta Med 2014; 80 - PD14
DOI: 10.1055/s-0034-1382435

Selective apoptosis of human myeloid leukemia (HL-60) cells by Myrothamnus flabellifolius, an edible medicinal plant

J Dhillon 1, V Miller 3, J Carter 1, A Badiab 2, CN Tang 4, A Huynh 1, B Peethambaran 1, 2
  • 1Department of Biology
  • 2Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of the Sciences, Philadelphia, PA 19104
  • 3A.J. Drexel Plasma Institute, Drexel University, Camden, NJ 08103
  • 4Department of Biosciences Technologies, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA 19107

Current therapies for acute myeloid leukemia involve chemotherapy and radiation, which cause damage to normal and cancerous cells. There is a dire need to discover novel drugs that target only cancer cells. Myrothamnus flabellifolius is a South African resurrection plant known for its anti-viral, anti-microbial and anti-inflammatory properties.Human myeloid leukemia (HL-60) cells and normal (TK-6) lymphocytes were treated with methanolic (MeOH) and petroleum ether (PE) extracts of M. flabellifolius. Cancerous cells treated with MeOH extract were less viable than those treated with PE extract. Normal cells depicted no significant reduction in viability in the MeOH extract at and below IC50 levels. The loss in HL-60 viability was accompanied by the induction of caspase dependent apoptosis by way of caspase-7 and Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage.