Cytotoxic and antiproliferative potential of methanolic extracts of Asparagus racemosus in MDAMB231 cells

Abstract

The present study was carried out to evaluate the cytotoxic and antiproliferative activity of methanolic extract of Asparagus racemosus in MDAB-231 cells. The qualitative phytochemical analysis of the extract revealed the presence of steroids, alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, saponins and diterpenes. MDAMB-231 cells were maintained in RPMI media containing 10 per cent serum and 1 per cent antibiotic and antimycotic solution. The cells were harvested and seeded to 96 well plate at 5×103 cells/mL, incubated for 24 hours at 37˚C with 5 per cent CO2. The cells were treated with 160, 80, 40, 20 and 10µg/mL of the extract for 24 hours and viability was accessed using MTT Assay. Also cells were plated in 6 well plates at concentrations 3×105 cells/mL and exposed to 80, 40, 20 and 10µg/mL of the extract of Asparagus racemosus for acridine orange ethidium bromide (AO/EB) staining. There was a dose dependent decrease in viability of cells exposed to methanolic extracts of Asparagus racemosus with a viability of 15.55+0.193 per cent for cells treated with 160µg/mL. The IC50 was found to be 91.36+ 0.87 µg/mL. The AO/EB staining revealed that most of the cells were dead in extract treated with 80µg/mL where more than 90 per cent of cells were live when treated with 10µg/mL of the extract.