Exploring the chemotherapeutic potential of five plant species through in vitro screening

ABSTRACT Cancer is a group of diseases characterized by uncontrolled proliferation and spread of abnormal cells. Among the commonly used antineoplastic treatments, chemotherapy is one of the most frequent. In searching for new antineoplastic drugs, finding more effective and selective drugs becomes increasingly necessary. Analysis by phenotypic screening can identify promising compounds in cancer chemotherapy. In this work, hydroalcoholic extracts of Plumbago auriculata Lam., Plumbago scandens L., Cestrum axillare Vell., Jatropha gossypiifolia L. and Jatropha multifida L. were screened for cytotoxic effect by MTT on glioblastoma (U-87 MG), colorectal carcinoma (RKO-AS45-1) and lung epithelial cell (WI-26 VA4) cell lines. After exposure to the extracts for 24, 48, and 72 hours, the extract of P. scandens exhibited the highest cytotoxicity in all cell lines. The extracts of the other plant species could not reduce cell survival to less than 50% at any cell line at the concentrations and exposure times. In conclusion, hydroalcoholic extract of P. scandens was highly cytotoxic to tumor cells, making it a promising tool in cancer chemotherapy. Further studies are needed to explore the isolated compounds as cancer chemotherapeutic agents.