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Virology & Immunology Journal Research Article 3 min read

Cancer, Ethnobotany and In vitro Cytotoxicity Assays

Dragoeva APD*
* Corresponding author
ISSN: 2577-4379  10.23880/vij-16000157  Received: February 26, 2018  Published: April 05, 2018
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Keywords
Cancer Ethnobotany In vitro Cytotoxicity Assays
Abstract

Cancer is a major health problem worldwide. In recent years a lot of studies are focused on preliminary screening of plant extracts for their cytotoxic effect on human cancer cells. This brief review summarizes some of them [1-10]. Chosen studies share similar distinctiveness:  Medicinal plants wеre selected on the basis of their ethnomedicinal uses;  Native and endemic species from geographical regions which possess a great diversity of species have been elected;  Whole plant extracts have been tested;  Anticancer potential of plant extracts was investigated in vitro;  The results illustrate the value of preference based on the traditional knowledge.

Cancer Prevention and Treatment

A common feature of cancer is uncontrolled cell division. Modern medicine cannot treat or prevent most cancer diseases. Scientists are expected to pay attention to development of effective and safe anticancer drugs. The scope of current investigations is to achieve selective action only to the particular cancer cells. This brief review summarized findings of several recent studies [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]. The results obtained indicate that numerous plant extracts exhibit promising anticancer potential.

Ethnobotany

Plants have been used to treat human diseases from ancient times plants. Nowadays traditional medicine is a common approach in some parts of the world. Moreover, it is well known that a lot of conventional drugs have been isolated from plants. Recently, different medicinal plants have been selected to be investigated based on their ethnobotanical use. Of particular interest are geographical regions which possess a great diversity of species. Some of them are endemic. So, traditional knowledge of particular area could lead to discovery of drugs for people all over the world.

In vitro Cytotoxicity Assays

Chemical interactions among plants and other organisms are mediated through secondary metabolites [10]. Different interactions between secondary metabolites were established – synergistic, additive, etc.

So, preliminary testing of whole extracts represents an object of interest. Nowadays the principle of the “Three Rs” - Replacement, Reduction and Refinement is widely accepted in laboratory techniques. “Replacement” refers to avoidance of animal testing. In the case of the numerous plant extracts in vitro assays represent a useful alternative of animal experimentation [11, 12]. These informative methods are suitable for preliminary screening and selection of cytotoxic plant extracts. A key strategy in cancer research is to discover how to affect particular malignant cells without toxicity on normal cells in human body. Using different cancer cells specific effects of extracts on cell proliferation could be detected. At the same time, this rapid assay allows to estimate side effects using normal human cells.

Conclusion

Selection of medicinal plants for preliminary testing relying on traditional medicine represents a useful tool in anticancer researches. Some plants possess high cytotoxic potential only on cancer cells tested. These extracts may represent sources for the development of effective and safe drugs.

References

  1. Ashidi JS, Houghton PJ, Hylands PJ, Efferth T (2010) Ethnobotanical survey and cytotoxicity testing of plants of South-western Nigeria used to treat cancer, with isolation of cytotoxic constituents from Cajanus cajan Millsp. Leaves. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 128(2): 501-512.
  2. Tugba Artun F, Karagoz A, Ozcan G, Melikoglu G, Anil S, et al. (2016) In vitro anticancer and cytotoxic activities of some plant extracts on HeLa and Vero cell lines. J BUON 21(3): 720-725.
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  5. Jain R, Jain SK (2011) Screening of in vitro cytotoxic activity of some medicinal plants used traditionally to treat cancer in Chhattisgarh state, India. Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine 1(2): 147-150.
  6. Omonike OO, Segun PA, Adeniji AJ (2017) In vitro cytotoxic activity of medicinal plants from Nigeria ethnomedicine on Rhabdomyosarcoma cancer cell line and HPLC analysis of active extracts. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine, 17: 494.
  7. Rosangkima G, Jagetia GC (2015) In vitro anticancer screening of medicinal plants of mizoram state,India, against Dalton’s lymphoma, MCF-7 and HELA Cells. International Journal of Recent Scientific Research Research 6(8): 5648-5653.
  8. Solowey E, Lichtenstein M, Sallon S, Paavilainen H, Solowey E, et al. (2014) Evaluating Medicinal Plants for Anticancer Activity. The Scientific World Journal 2014: 12.
  9. Tiwary BK, Bihani S, Kumar A, Chakraborty R, Ghosh R (2015) The in vitro cytotoxic activity of ethno- pharmacological important plants of Darjeeling district of West Bengal against different human cancer cell lines. BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine 15: 22.
  10. Latif S, Chiapusio G, Weston LA (2017) Allelopathy and the role of allelochemicals in plant defence. Advances in Botanical Research: How plant communicate with their biotic environment 82(35): 19-54.
  11. Russell WMS, Burch RL (1959) The Principles of Humane Experimental Technique, Special Edition 1992, Universities Federation for Animal Welfare. Potters Bar: Methuen. Accessed March 20, 2016.
  12. Riss TL, Moravec RA, Niles AL, Duellman S, Benink HA, et al. (2013) Cell Viability Assays. Assay Guidance Manual [Internet].
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@article{dragoeva2018,
  title   = {Cancer, Ethnobotany and In vitro Cytotoxicity Assays},
  author  = {Dragoeva APD},
  journal = {Virology & Immunology Journal},
  year    = {2018},
  volume  = {2},
  number  = {4},
  doi     = {10.23880/vij-16000157}
}
Dragoeva APD (2018). Cancer, Ethnobotany and In vitro Cytotoxicity Assays. Virology & Immunology Journal, 2(4). https://doi.org/10.23880/vij-16000157
TY  - JOUR
TI  - Cancer, Ethnobotany and In vitro Cytotoxicity Assays
AU  - Dragoeva APD
JO  - Virology & Immunology Journal
PY  - 2018
VL  - 2
IS  - 4
DO  - 10.23880/vij-16000157
ER  -