Anti-proliferative effect of Ficus pumila Linn. on human leukemic cell lines

Abstract

INTRODUCTIONCancer is one of the most severe health problems in both developing and developed countries worldwide. Among the most common types of cancers are lung, stomach, colorectal, liver, and breast. Lung cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men whereas breast cancer is the most common type in women.1 Curative surgery is the first option for patients with early-stage cancer while radiotherapy and chemotherapy have proven to be effective treatments for patients in the advanced stages. However, the curative effect of traditional chemotherapeutic drugs is limited and their ABSTRACT Background: Cancer is one of the many diseases of global concern due to its high mortality rate with drug resistance becoming a major challenge to chemotherapy and this have propelled many cancer patients to seek alternative and complementary methods of treatment. The objective for this study was, therefore, to determine the antiproliferative activity as well as phytochemical, total phenolic content (TPC), and antioxidant activity of the stem and leaf extracts (FPS and FPL) of Ficus pumila (L.) using standard methods. Methods: The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay was used to evaluate anti-proliferative effect and spectrophotometric-based assays for antioxidant and TPC. Phytochemical constituents were accessed by standard methods. Results:The hydroethanolic extracts of the leaves and stems were rich in tannins, general glycosides, saponins, terpenoids, alkaloids, flavonoids (leaves only), and sterols (stem only). Strong total antioxidant activities were observed with FPL and FPS with EC 50 values of 0.07 mg/ml and 0.089 mg/ml, respectively. All the crude extracts showed anti-proliferative effect towards the three human leukemic cell lines used (Jurkat, CEM,. However, FPL gave the strongest inhibition concentration at 50% values of 130.97 µg/ml (Jurkat) and 56.31 µg/ml (HL-60). Conclusion: These findings suggest that crude extracts of FPS and FPL have antiproliferative effect on the leukemia cells. The antioxidant properties of the plant including phenolics may be partly responsible for the anti-proliferative activity. Further studies are required to isolate chemical components of the plant and establish their anti-proliferative activities and mechanism of action.

In Vitro Antioxidant Activities of Aqueous Extracts Derived from Leaves of Juvenile and Mature Shoots of Ficus Pumila L. (Moraceae)

“…Several methods have been developed to measure the free radical scavenging capacity, regardless of the individual compounds, which contribute towards the total capacity of a plant product in scavenging free radicals (Lo et al, 2004). For instance, Larbie et al (2015) have determined the antiproliferative activity as well as phytochemicals content, total phenolic content (TPC), and antioxidant activity of the stem and leaf extracts (FPS and FPL) of F. pumila using standard methods. The hydroethanolic extracts of the leaves and stems were rich in tannins, general glycosides, saponins, terpenoids, alkaloids, flavonoids (leaves only), and sterols (stem only).…”

“…These findings suggest that crude extracts of FPS and FPL have an anti-proliferative effect on the leukemia cells. The antioxidant properties of the plant including phenolics may be partly responsible for the anti-proliferative activity (Larbie et al, 2015).…”

“…According to Yong et al (2013), the leaves of this plant have antimicrobial, antileishmanial, and anti-inflammatory effects among many other medicinal benefits. These benefits could be attributed to the wide array of chemicals contained in it (Larbie et al, 2015). The Okinawan folks in Japan use F. pumila as a beverage or herbal medicine to treat diabetes and high blood pressure (Leong et al, 2008).…”

“…Therefore, this plant, like all other ornamental Ficus spp. plants are very likely to contain certain important phytochemicals with pharmacological properties that could be useful (Larbie et al, 2015).…”

Hydroethanolic Extracts of Ficus pumila Linn. Is Protective against Gentamicin-Induced Kidney Damage in Rats

“…F. pumila is ingested to treat conditions such as diabetes, dizziness, skin diseases and high blood pressure [13]. The hydroethanolic extract of Ficus pumila L. is a rich source of tannins, saponins, general glycosides, alkaloids, flavonoids, triterpenes, and sterols and has been demonstrated to be hepatoprotective in animals [14,15], and it is a potent anticancer agent. The leaves of this plant have been shown to have antioxidant, antimicrobial, antimutagenic, anti-inflammatory and analgesic activities [14,16].…”