Cytotoxic effect of Anthocephalus cadamba Miq. leaves on human cancer cell lines

Abstract

Anthocephalus cadamba Miq. (Rubiaceae) is used as folk medicine in the treatment of fever, anemia, leprosy, dysentery, blood and skin diseases. Powdered leaves of A. cadamba were extracted sequentially with hexane, chloroform, ethanol, ethanol:water (50:50) and water by maceration, and evaluated for cytotoxic potential using SRB assay against four human cancer cell lines lung (A-549), ovary (IGR-OV-1), prostate (PC-3) and CNS (SF-295). Chloroform extract exerts potent cytotoxic effect against human lung (A-549), ovary (IGR-OV-1), prostate (PC-3) and CNS (SF-295) cancer cell lines IC50 of 8, 57, 49 and 39 μg/ml respectively. Ethanolic extract was found to be active only against one cell line CNS (SF-295). The present study demonstrates the cytotoxic potential of A. cadamba leaves extract (chloroform) against different human cancer cell lines.