In vitro anticancer activity of Eclipta alba whole plant extract on colon cancer cell HCT-116

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundsColon cancer is the third most deadly and one of the most diagnosed diseases in the world. Although routine screening and early detection during last decades has improved the survival, colon cancer still claims hundreds of thousands lives each year worldwide. Surgery and chemotherapy is mainstay of current treatment, nevertheless toxicity associated with this treatment underscores the urgency of demand of a better therapeutics. Close to 50% of current chemotherapeutic drugs are direct or indirect descendants compounds isolated from medicinal plants, which indicate plants are great potential sources of novel therapeutics. In our literature review we foundEclipta albato posses many pharmacological activities, including those with anticancer potentials. However, no study on anticancer activity of this kind has been reported.MethodsPhytochemicals were extracted by maceration method from shade dried whole plant ofEclipta albausing methanol as a solvent. The anticancer effect of extract was investigated on various cancer cell lines like human colorectal carcinoma (HCT-116), human prostate cancer (PC-3), Michigan cancer foundation-breast cancer (MCF-7) and renal cell carcinoma (RCC-45). We have also studied the effects on normal human embryonic lung fibroblast cell (WI-38) using MTT (methyl thiazoldiphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay, clonogenic (colony formation) and migration assay. Finally obtained results were analyzed using ANNOVA and Dunnett’s test.ResultsResults obtained from MTT assay revealed that the methanolic extract ofEclipta albacarried significant (p < 0.005) specificity against HCT-116 cells as compared to the other cancer cells. This extract also showed minimal or nontoxicity to WI-38 cells. Migration as well as clonogenic assays also confirmed the anticancer potential of the extract against HCT-116 cells.ConclusionThis is a unique finding of its kind because the specific anticancer effect with minimal toxicity on normal cells has not been reported onEclipta albaextract. Finally this finding opens up a great possibility to develop a novel antitumor drug candidate against deadly colon cancer in the future.