Abstract
Objective: Ophiorrhiza pectinata Arn., a notable species belonging to the family Rubiaceae, is reported to be used in traditional and conventional medicines. The present study was aimed at the evaluation of the cytotoxic and apoptotic effects of the aqueous extract of O. pectinata. 
 Methods: Cytotoxic potential of the plant extract was analyzed using Allium cepa assay and the apoptotic effect of the plant extract was analyzed using Evan’s blue staining technique.
 Results: The extract was found to be cytotoxic at all tested concentrations, inducing several clastogenic and non-clastogenic aberrations at all the stages of mitosis. The clastogenic aberrations observed include chromosome coagulation, stickiness, chromosome bridges and fragments, nuclear lesions, and giant cells. Among non-clastogenic aberrations seen, the prominent ones were polyploidy, C-metaphase, stathmo-anaphase, ball metaphase, vagrants, tropokinesis, etc. The mitotic index was found to be decreasing with increase in concentration, whereas the abnormality percentage increased with an increase in the concentration of the plant extract. The in situ visualization of cell death by the Evan’s blue staining method gave a positive relation between the concentration of the extract and its apoptotic activity.
 Conclusion: As cytotoxicity and apoptosis are bioactivities related to anticancer potential, the study proves that the plant is of high therapeutic efficacy and requires more exploration toward its usefulness in drug discovery.
Highlights
Plants are the major source of natural medicines
Mitotic index was found to be decreasing with an increase in the concentration of the plant extract when compared with control
Mitotic index obtained indicated a dose-dependent reduction in the number of normal dividing cells and a dose-dependent increase was found in the number of aberrant cells, both signifying the cytotoxic potential of the plant
Summary
Several products derived from plants have been used for thousands of years in traditional medicines to treat various human illnesses [1]. Cancer has become one such devastating disease, affecting millions of people worldwide. It accounts for more than 13% of all human deaths [5]. Modern technology has developed synthetic drugs and therapies for the treatment, cancer still affects the quality of life. An alternative to this is the use of herbal-based drugs, and medicinal plants become the principle source of anticancer agents [6]
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