Anti-Proliferative Activity of Triterpenes Isolated from Clinicanthus nutans on Hep-G2 Liver Cancer Cells

Problem statement: Clinicanthus nutans has been used by Malaysian since long time ago. It is used to treat manydiseases including cancer. Many studies carried out on its crude extract but no clear report on the specific secondarymetabolites responsible for its nature in treating selected diseases. Objective: This study aims to confirm the practicecarried out by many people on the usage of Clinicanthus nutans in treating cancer. Methods: C. nutans leaves wereextracted by methanol. Thin layer chromatography was used to identify the suitable solvent for fractions separation.The fractions were then separated at larger volume using gravity column chromatography. Each fraction was tested onits anti-proliferative activity on Hep-G2 liver cancer cells by MTT assay. The phytochemical screening was carried outto identify the bioactive compound based on qualitative analysis. Results: The fraction 2 (F2) of C. nutans showed thelowest IC50 value of 1.73 μg/ml against Hep-G2 cancer cells, and it is identified as triterpenes. Conclusion: The fractionF2 identified as triterpenes isolated from C. nutans has potential as an anti-proliferative agent against liver cancer.