A study on the cytotoxicity of plectranthus amboinicus and bacopa monnieri stem extracts on lung cancer cell line

Abstract

Cancer is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality. Many treatment modalities have been developed and the need for plant derived therapeutic is growing due to the adverse effects of chemotherapeutic agents. The present study aims to discover the potential of two herbs Plectranthus amboinicus and Bacopa monnieri. Screening for the bioactives in the methanolic extracts of Plectranthus amboinicus and Bacopa monnieri stem showed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, terpenoids, phenols, saponins, carbohydrates. A comparative study on the cytotoxicity of methanolic extracts of the stem of these plants on lung epithelial cancer cell line A549 and normal fibroblast cell line L929 revealed that both extracts possess cancer cell specific cytotoxic activity. However, Bacopa monnieri stem extracts were found to be more effective in inducing cytotoxicity than Plectranthus amboinicus.