Comparative In Vitro Assessment of the Methanol Extracts of the Leaf, Stem, and Root Barks of Cnidoscolus aconitifolius on Lung and Breast Cancer Cell Lines

Objectives: Cnidoscolus aconitifolius Mill. I.M.Johnst. is a medicinal plant widely used in ethnomedicine for the treatment of cancer and other diseases.

Materials and methods: The effects of methanol extracts of the leaf, stem, and root barks were evaluated on breast (MCF-7) and lung (NCI-H460) cancer cells at 1-250 μg/mL using the SRB assay and the extracts were screened for phytochemicals using the standard method.

Results: The stem and root extracts showed no activity at the maximum concentration, while the leaf extract at 100 μg/mL showed remarkable cell growth inhibition against breast (-14.50±0.58) and lung cancer (+53.29±4.57) in vitro. The extracts showed the presence of saponins, terpenes, cardiac glycosides, and phenolic compounds. Partitioning of the active leaf extract further enhanced its activity as the chloroform fraction exhibited GI₅₀, LC₅₀, and total growth inhibition (TGI) of 22.5, 68.75, and 43.75 μg/mL against breast cancer, respectively, and GI₅₀ and TGI of 35.4 and 55.8 μg/ mL against lung cancer cells, respectively. However, the aqueous fraction showed no cytotoxicity against either cell line.

Conclusion: These results justified the ethnomedicinal uses of the plant against tumor-related ailments. Isolation of the constituents responsible for the observed activity needs to be carried out to further support this claim.

Keywords: Cnidoscolus aconitifolius; Cytotoxicity; MCF-7; NCI-H460; cancer cells; growth inhibition.