Abstract
The aim of this study was to determine the anticancer, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antiviral activities of traditionally used medicinal plants.The extracts were tested for cytotoxicity against human melanoma (A375), epidermoid carcinoma (A431), cervical epithelial carcinoma (HeLa) and human embryonic kidney cells (HEK-293). The antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities were also determined. Gomphocarpus fruticosus, Helichrysum kraussii and Syzygium jambos were selected for activity against the herpes simplex virus type-1.The extracts exhibited low toxicity towards HEK-293 cells, and four extracts; namely Acacia mellifera, G. fruticosus, H. kraussii and S. jambos, were able to inhibit the A431 and HeLa cells with 50% inhibitory concentrations (IC50) ranging from 34.90–56.20μg/ml. Arbutus unedo, Combretum molle, Dissotis princeps, Erythrophleum lasianthum, Harpephyllum caffrum, H. kraussii and S. jambos, showed high DPPH inhibitory activity, with IC50 values ranging from 2.41–5.25μg/ml. The highest antioxidant activity was seen for S. jambos (DPPH) and A. unedo (NO) respectively with greater activity than ascorbic acid. D. princeps, H. caffrum, Leucas martinicensis and S. jambos, showed high inhibition of the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) enzyme with IC50 values ranging from 3.79–25.80μg/ml with S. jambos showing the highest activity. S. jambos further showed the highest anti-HSV-1 activity at 50.00μg/ml against 100TCID50virus challenge dose.This is the first report of the selected plants for their cytotoxicity, anti-inflammatory and viral inhibitory activity. S. jambos was able to show high inhibition of the HPV type-1 virus and the COX-2 enzyme.
Highlights
Traditional medicine is still used by approximately 65-80 % of the world‟s population in developing countries as a source of primary health care (Tag et al 2012)
3.1 In vitro cytotoxicity The sixteen ethanolic extracts were tested for cytotoxicity against cancerous A431, A375 and human cervical epithelial carcinoma (HeLa) cells as well as the non-cancerous HEK-293 cell line
S. jambos leaves were previously extracted with hexane and methanol and showed IC50 values of 150.00 and 600.00 μg/ml respectively on Vero cells (Sirivan, 2008)
Summary
Traditional medicine is still used by approximately 65-80 % of the world‟s population in developing countries as a source of primary health care (Tag et al 2012). An infusion of Acacia caffra bark is used by the Zulu community of South Africa as a bloodcleansing emetic (Hutchings et al 1996). Water extracts from the Acacia mellifera plant is used by a Kenyan community, known as “Kipsigis”, for the treatment of various skin diseases (Mutai et al 2008). The Tswana communities of South Africa use the fresh flowers of Buddleja salviifolia as a decoction for the treatment of sores (Hutchings et al 1996). Tabernaemontana elegans is used by the Zulu community of South Africa where the dried powder of the inner wall of the fruit is boiled in water and used to treat cancer (Cheek, 2010). Warburgia salutaris is used for the treatment of sores where the powder of the plant is applied directly (Rabe and van Staden, 1997)
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