Abstract

Antitumor and in-vitro cytotoxic property of Grewia asiatica lim., against Erhlich's ascites carcinoma cells

Author(s): Gomathi Periyasamy, Bibhuti B.Kakoti, Thamil Selvan Vaiyapuri, Gupta Malaya, Mazumder Upal Kanti

Background and purpose of the study: Grewia asiatica Linn is amedicinal plant and belongs to the family Tiliaceae. Various parts of the plant has been reported for possessing several therapeutic utilities like rheumatism, pustular eruptions, appetizer, aphrodisiac, and in curing inflammation, heart and blood disorder, fevers and diarrhea. The present study was aimed to evaluate antitumor and in vitro cytoxic activity of the methanolic extract of Grewia asiatica (MEGA). Methods: Themethanolic extractwas prepared by soxhlet extraction.MEGA at the doses of 250 mg/kg and 500mg/kg body weight were administered orally for consecutive 10 days by taking tumor inoculation as day 0.At the end of the treatment schedule, blood parameters and increased life span were noted.MEGA was also assessed for in vitro cytotoxicity against four cancer cell lines using MTT assay method and the viability of the cells were determined by Trypan Blue ExclusionMethod. Results: MEGA at the tested doses showed anticancer activity against EhrlichÂÂ’s ascites carcinoma (EAC) cells. Oral administration of 250 and 500mg/kg body weight of MEGA increased the life span of EAC ascitic tumour bearingmice by 41.22 and 61.16%, respectively. The viable and non viable cell counts also significantly improved after theMEGAtreatment. In vitro cytotoxicity ofMEGAagainst four cancer cell lines showed IC50value of 53.70, 54.90, 199.5 and 177.8 ìg/ml for HL– 60, K-562, MCF-7 and Hela cells respectively. Major conclusion: The results of the present study are encouraging as the extractMEGAexhibit significant reduction in the tumor burden and caused prolongation of lifespan of the tumor hosts. These parameters suggest that the methanol extract of Grewia asiatica exhibits potential antitumor and in vitro cytotoxic activities.