Planta Med 2010; 76 - P128
DOI: 10.1055/s-0030-1264426

Cytotoxicity of some Nigerian plants used in traditional cancer treatment

A Sowemimo 1, M Van de Venter 2, L Baatjies 2, T Koekemoer 2
  • 1University of Lagos, Pharmacognosy, College of Medicine Capus Idi-Araba, Lagos., 234 Lagos, Nigeria
  • 2Nelson Mandela University, Biochemistry and Microbiology, Nelson Mandela University, 6031 Port Elizabeth, South Africa

The importance of medicinal plants and traditional health systems in solving the health care problems of the world is gaining increasing attention. Five plants-[Sapium ellipticum Hochst. ex Krauss Pax (Euphorbiaceae), Combretum paniculatum Vent. (Combretaceae), Celosia trigyna L. (Amaranthaceae), Drymaria cordata (L.) Willd. ex Roem. & Schult. (Caryophyllaceae) and Cyathula prostata (L.) Blume (Amaranthaceae)] are used traditionally in the treatment of cancer [1]. The ethanolic extracts of the plants were evaluated for cytotoxic activity using the MTT assay on the colon (HT29) and breast (MCF-7) cancer cell lines at concentration ranging between 125–500µg/ml to validate the ethnomedicinal uses and compare activities [2]. The percentage inhibition of the extracts in the MCF-7 cell line were in order of Sapium (74%) > Cyathula (48%) > Celosia (30%) > Combretum (28%) > Drymaria (22%) at 500µg/ml respectively. Sapium showed inhibition comparable to the reference compound Cisplatin. However, all the plants showed less than 50% inhibition at 500µg/ml in the HT29 cell line. The results showed that Sapium showed greater cytotoxic activity than all the plants tested and this validates the traditional use of the plant.

References: 1. Burkill, H.M. (1994). Useful Plants of West Tropical Africa. Royal Botanic Gardens, Surrey.

2. Mossman, T. (1983). J. Immunol. Methods 65: 55–63.