Anticancer activity, phytochemical screening and acute toxicity evaluation of an aqueous extract of Aristolochia longa L.

Abstract

Aristolochia longa (Aristolochiaceae) is widely used in traditional medicine. The present study was carried out to investigate the cytotoxic activity and the acute toxicity of an aqueous extract of A. longa roots. Also, the phytochemical composition of the extract was evaluated. The cytotoxic effects of the aqueous extract in triple negative breast cancer MDA-MB-231 and HBL-100 cell lines was evaluated by MTT assay. A. longa roots were screened for the presence of phytochemical constituents using the standard qualitative phytochemical procedures. The acute oral toxicity (5000 mg/kg limited dose test) was evaluated. Our results showed that both cells were inhibited in a dose-dependent manner by A. longa aqueous extract. The IC50 of A. longa aqueous extract was estimated after 72h treatment at 40μg/ml and 97μg/ml in HBL100 and MDA-MB-231 cell lines, respectively. A. longa aqueous extract at a concentration of 500μg/ml suppressed effectively the cell growth of HBL100 and MDA-MB-231 cells. TLC analysis revealed the presence of flavonols, flavones and/or flavonoid glycosides as major compounds in the extract. Results of the acute toxicity study suggest the non-toxicity of the A. longa aqueous extract to the liver. Interestingly, the renal function was not affected by the extract administration at 5000mg/kg. A. longa aqueous extract could be toxicologically safe when administered orally in rats in a single dose. A. longa could be considered as a promising and safe source for developing novel therapeutics against breast cancer. Keywords: Aristolochia longa, breast cancer, phytochemical, acute toxicity, TLC.