Abstract
The anticancer potential of Leea indica, a Chinese medicinal plant was investigated for the first time. The crude ethanol extract and fractions (ethyl acetate, hexane, and water) of Leea indica were evaluated their cytotoxicity on various cell lines (Ca Ski, MCF 7, MDA-MB-435, KB, HEP G2, WRL 68, and Vero) by MTT assay. Leea indica ethyl acetate fraction (LIEAF) was found showing the greatest cytotoxic effect against Ca Ski cervical cancer cells. Typical apoptotic morphological changes such as DNA fragmentation and chromatin condensation were observed in LIEAF-treated cells. Early signs of apoptosis such as externalization of phosphatidylserine and disruption of mitochondrial membrane potential indicated apoptosis induction. This was further substantiated by dose- and time-dependent accumulation of sub-G1 cells, depletion of intracellular glutathione, and activation of caspase-3. In conclusion, these results suggested that LIEAF inhibited cervical cancer cells growth by inducing apoptosis and could be developed as potential anticancer drugs.
Highlights
Apoptosis is a physiological cell suicide program which can be evoked in response to stimuli such as ionizing radiation, toxins, and anticancer drugs
The in vitro cytotoxic effect of Leea indica was evaluated by MTT assay
The results showed that the crude ethanol and fractions of Leea indica significantly reduced the viability of Ca Ski cells in a dose-dependent manner (Figure 1(a))
Summary
Apoptosis is a physiological cell suicide program which can be evoked in response to stimuli such as ionizing radiation, toxins, and anticancer drugs. Leea indica, a traditional Chinese medicinal plant was selected for the evaluation of its anticancer potential. (Leeaceae) is a shrub which can be found in tropical and subtropical countries including Malaysia, Thailand, and China. It is commonly known as memali (in Malay) and yantuo (in Chinese) and claimed to have some medicinal values such as anticancer, antidiabetic, antidiarrhoeal, antidysenteric, and antispasmodic based on local uses [5,6,7,8]. It was necessary to expand the present study to include the cytotoxicity on different cancer cell lines and the possible mechanisms underlying the cytotoxicity action
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