In vitro cytotoxic activity of Tarantula cubensis alcoholic extract on different human cell lines

Abstract

Spider venoms are known to have great potential for their antimicrobial, antifungal, and antitumor activities due to their rich peptide content. Tarantula cubensis alcoholic extract Theranekron® is a homeopathic remedy and it is frequently used in veterinary treatments. Specifically, the anti-inflammatory, antitumor and wound healing effects of Theranekron® provide a wide range of use in animal treatments. More importantly, it can reduce the growth rate of canine mammary tumors. This effect shows that Theranekron® can be a potential candidate for cancer treatment. In this study, the cytotoxic effect of Theranekron® was evaluated in four different human cancer cell lines and one non-cancerous human cell line. It was aimed to provide a foundation for further studies by conducting an in vitro screening for the cytotoxic effect of Theranekron®. Results showed that Theranekron® has a high cytotoxic effect on human breast cancer cell lines. On the other hand, the rate of cytotoxicity was found to be relatively lower on human small cell lung cancer, glioblastoma and human prostate cancer cell lines as compared to breast cancer cells. These results indicated that T. cubensis alcoholic extract might be utilized as an anticancer bio-therapeutic and should be further examined for its potential.