ANTICANCER POTENTIAL OF SALACIA CHINENSIS L. AND WOODFORDIA FRUTICOSA (L.) KURZ OF THE WESTERN GHATS FORESTS OF INDIA

Abstract

Objective: Salacia chinensis and Woodfordia fruticosa are medicinal plants from the Western Ghats of India traditionally used in the treatment of diabetes, diarrhea and worm infections. The current study aims to evaluate the cytotoxic potential of methanolic extract of Salacia chinensis and Woodfordia fruticosa against breast and pancreatic cancers. Methods: Methanolic extract of dried leaves of Salacia chinensis and Woodfordia fruticosa were obtained by Soxhlet extraction. The cytotoxic potential of the dried extract was evaluated against human breast (MDA-MB-231) and pancreatic (PANC-1) cancers in vitro using MTT-based assay. Results: The study showed a dose-dependent cytotoxicity of Salacia chinensis and Woodfordia fruticosa leaf extracts against breast and pancreatic cancers with IC50 values of 124 μg/ml against MDA-MB-231 and 230.5 μg/ml against PANC–1 cells, respectively. Conclusion: Results indicate the presence of cytotoxic phytochemicals in Salacia chinensis and Woodfordia fruticosa. Further purification of the extract might be beneficial to isolate the anticancer phytochemical.