Comparing of the cytotoxicity properties and mechanism of Lawsonia inermis and Strobilanthes crispus extract against several cancer cell lines

Abstract

This research was conducted to study and compare the cytotoxic effect of the extracts of two plants, henna (Lawsonia inermis) and kejibeling (Strobilanthes crispus) on several kinds of cancer cell lines. The mechanism of the effect was also studied through the expression of cancer-caused gene, c-myc. This research was done in vitro using several kinds of cancer cell lines such as human colon cancer cell lines (Caco-2), liver cancer cell lines (HepG2), hormone-dependent breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7) and hormone-independent breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231) and Chang Liver cell lines. The cytotoxic effect was measured through MTT assay and the potential cytotoxic value was calculated by determining the toxic concentration which may kill up to 50% of the total cell used (IC50). Meanwhile, the cytotoxic mechanism was studied by determining the effect of adding both extracts to the c-myc gene expression. The methods for determination were RT-PCR and sequencing process. The results showed that chloroform extract from henna can be used against human colon cancer cell lines (Caco-2) and liver cancer cell lines (HepG2) with an IC50-value of 25.1 and 28 μg mL-1, respectively. Kejibeling was also found to be cytotoxic against human liver cancer cell lines (HepG2) and hormone-dependent breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7) with an IC50-value of 0.3 and 24.8 μg mL-1, respectively. However, the extract was not cytotoxic against human colon cancer cell lines (Caco-2). The smallest value of IC50 was seen when the kejibeling extract was compared with henna. The cytotoxic effect of both plant extracts may be mediated by the down-regulation of c-myc expression.