<i>Securinega virosa</i> leaf and root bark extracts: a comparative anti-cancer study against human breast (MCF-7) and lung (NCI-H460) cancer cell lines

Abstract

Securinega virosa (Roxb. ex.Willd.) is a medicinal plant with folkloric use in the treatment of cancer and other diseases and has earlier shown significant cytotoxic and growth-inhibitory prospect in our past work. The methanol extracts of the leaves and root barks obtained by cold maceration were screened for anti-cancer properties on breast (MCF-7) and lung (NCI-H460) cancer cells at 1-250 μg/mL adopting the SRB assay. The active leaf extract was partitioned into aqueous and chloroform fractions which were further tested at 1-100 μg/mL on the cell lines. The leaf and root bark extracts exhibited higher sensitivities on MCF-7 than NCI-H460 cell lines. At 100 μg/mL the leaf extract showed cytotoxicity and growth-inhibitory activities of –1.09 and +61.35 % on MCF-7 and NCI-H460 cell lines which later increased to –18.67 and +77.13 %, respectively at 250 μg/mL with GI 50 and TGI of 42 and 63 μg/mL on MCF-7 as well and 98.01 and 132.50 μg/mL on both cells. At the maximum concentration, the root bark extract recorded cytotoxicity of –2.60 % on MCF-7, and a growth-inhibitory activity of +57.9 % on NCI-H460 cell lines. Fractionation of the leaf extract improved its activity at GI50, TGI of 28.11, 34.22 μg/mL on MCF-7 and 42 and 52.69 μg/ mL against NCI-H460 cells, respectively. The traditional use of this plant in the treatment of tumor ailment has further been justified by these results.