Cytotoxicity of medicinal plants used in cancer prevention in Thailand

Currently, it is almost impossible to treat advanced cancer patients. Preventive approaches which attempt to control carcinogenesis have been adopted based on the idea that fixing small impairments is easier than larger ones [1]. It is important to prevent cancer development by modulating different targets and maintaining cell homeostasis. Thai traditional medicine (TTM), a holistic medicine which focuses on maintaining the balance of the four elements of the body provides a good framework for strategies for cancer prevention. The aim of this study was to evaluate cytotoxicity of medicinal plants used in cancer prevention by local healers/traditional medical practitioners as a first step of a systematic study of these plants.

An ethnopharmacological approach was used to obtain information for selecting potential species. Each plant was extracted with water or 70% ethanol. Alamar blue assay was used to evaluate cytotoxicity of the potential plant extracts (6.25 – 200 µg/mL) in HepG2 cells.

Based on a field survey, 18 plant extracts were selected. After 48 hours, ethanol extracts of Aucklandia lappa DC. (Compositae) (AUE), Ligusticum striatum DC. (Apiaceae) (LSE), and Derris scandens (Roxb.) Benth. (Leguminosae) (DSE) inhibited the cell proliferation with IC₅₀ of 17.28, 91.13, and 145.70 µg/mL, respectively. For AUE, its phytochemical were reported to induce apoptosis and Nrf2 [2]. Maximum non-toxic concentration of AUE, LSE, and DSE are 7.58, 36.02, and 65.84 µg/mL, respectively.

In our model AUE exhibited potent cytotoxicity. It should be further evaluated for other cancer chemopreventive properties in order to discover a novel and practical cancer preventive extracts.

References:

[1] Sporn MB, Suh N. Chemoprevention of cancer. Carcinogenesis 2000; 21: 525 – 530

[2] Rasul A, Khan M, Ali M, Li J, Li X. Targeting apoptosis pathways in cancer with alantolactone and isoalantolactone. ScientificWorldJournal 2013: 248532