Scientific African (Dec 2024)
In vitro cytotoxic activity of five Ghanaian plants on human cancer cell lines
Abstract
Cancer remains a prominent cause of mortality, accounting for approximately one-six of all deaths worldwide. The World Health Organization anticipates a rise in both cancer incidence and mortality rates, particularly in developing nations. In these regions, traditional herbal medicine plays a significant role in the treatment of various ailments, including tumors and cancers. Ethnobotanical studies conducted in the Kumasi region of Ghana have identified five medicinal plants, namely Pericopsis laxiflora (Benth. ex Baker.) Meeuwen., Mitragyna stipulosa (DC.) Kuntze., Cryptolepis nigrescens (Wennberg) L.Joubert. and Bruyns., Prosopsis africana (Guill. and Perr.) Taub. and Pterygota macrocarpa K.Schum, which are traditionally used for tumor management. Previous research articles have documented the ethnopharmacological activities of these plants. However, as far as we know, no preliminary in vitro cytotoxic screening using cervical (HELA), colorectal (RKO) and liver (HEPG2) human cancer cell lines has been conducted. In vitro cytotoxic activity of the aqueous and hydro-ethanol crude extracts derived from the five plants leaves and stembark was evaluated using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2.5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) bioassay. The most promising extract was identified based on the lowest IC50 value. The cytotoxic effects of P. laxiflora and M. stipulosa extracts on all three cell lines were found to be minimal. However, extracts from P. africana and P. macrocarpa showed moderate inhibition of RKO cell viability. Among the extracts, the hydro-ethanol extract derived from C. nigrescens stembark (CSHE) displayed the highest cytotoxicity in vitro and was further subjected to bio-guided fractionation. The methanol fraction was identified to be the most active in all tested cell lines. The findings obtained from this study offer preclinical evidence for the traditional medicinal applications of P. africana, P. macrocarpa and C. nigrescens in the treatment of neoplastic conditions. Additionally, it proposes the need for further investigations into the potential antiproliferative properties of the methanol fraction from CSHE.
