<i>In Vitro</i> Safety Assessment of the Effect of Five Medicinal Plants on Human Peripheral Lymphocytes

Abstract

Purpose: To evaluate, using ethnomedical data approach, five Indian plants used in traditional medicine for cancer and other diseases for their safety and cytotoxic activity on human lymphocytes. Methods: The antiproliferative effect of the 50, 100 and 200 µg/ml aqueous extracts of five plants (leaves of Phyllanthus niruri, Coleus aromaticus, Azadirachta indica and Camellia sinensis, and dried fruit rind of Garcinia indica) were evaluated in vitro using trypan blue dye exclusion and clonogenic assay methods on two cell lines-Balb/c 3T3 mouse fibroblasts and human peripheral lymphocytes. Results: Among the five plants used traditionally to treat cancer and other infections, two of them (A. indica and C. aromaticus) exhibited cytotoxic effects on lymphocytes. Two other plants (G. indica and P. niruri) exhibited pronounced cytotoxic effects. Another plant (Camellia sinensis) exhibited cytostimulatory effect (> 50 % cell proliferation). For the plants that are traditionally used in anticancer therapy, there was a correlation between the reported use of these plants and their cytotoxic activity on lymphocytes. Conclusion: The plant extracts of the leaves of P. niruri, C, aromaticus and A. indica, and the dried fruit rind of G. indica are cytotoxic to lymphocytes and this lends some credence to their traditional use for cancer treatment. However, green tea (C. sinensis) is cytostimulatory and safe for consumption.

Garcinia cambogia

“…It has also been reported that chemical inhibitors or ACLY RNAi suppress tumor cell growth Bauer et al, 2005). The results showed that Garcinia extracts inhibited lymphocytes and 3T3 fibroblast cell survival because of pronounced cytotoxic effects (Varalakshmi et al, 2011). Selective inhibition of ACLY by Garcinia extract/HCA may help in suppression of tumor cell growth (Migita et al, 2008).…”

Assessment of Mutagenic Effect ofG. acerosaandS. wightiiinS. typhimurium(TA 98, TA 100, and TA 1538 strains) and Evaluation of Their Cytotoxic and Genotoxic Effect in Human Mononuclear Cells: A Non-Clinical Study

“…Seaweeds or macroalgae are found to have rich source of secondary metabolites like polysaccharides, sterols, terpenoids, flavonoids, and fatty acids, which acts as excellent drug leads and facilitates the unraveling of novel biosynthetic pathways [ 5 , 6 ]. However, certain metabolites are toxic in nature, which necessitates the toxicological evaluation of natural products, which includes testing of plants for cytotoxic, genotoxic, and mutagenic potentials [ 7 , 8 ]. Mutagenicity is the process of induction of permanent transmissible changes in the genetic material of the cells, whereas genotoxicity is a broader term, which is the ability of a compound to interact with the genetic material and also with other cellular apparatus that maintains the fidelity of the genome [ 9 ].…”

In Vitro Cyto-genotoxicity of Hydroxycitric Acid: A Weight-loss Dietary Supplement

“…9 Such divergent results may be due to differences in treatment duration, test system, type of extracts and dilution solvent. Therefore, we considered it prudent to evaluate the mechanisms of induced cytotoxicity with regard to mitochondrial membrane potential and mode of cell death by flow cytometry.…”

“…6,7 Paradoxically, recent in vitro studies did not reveal genotoxicity but showed cytotoxicity. 8, 9 Thus, in view of the recent incongruent scientific findings and the rising demand for HCA, the present study was undertaken using multiple cytotoxic (trypan blue dye exclusion (TB) test and MTT assay), genotoxic (comet, DNA diffusion assays) endpoints for the first time, with emphasis on their mechanisms by detection of reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation (to reflect genotoxicity), mitochondrial membrane potential (signified by ΔΨm) and apoptosis/ necrosis (to reflect cytotoxicity) in human lymphocytes. The hemolytic effect of HCA in erythrocytes was also assessed.…”