Title:Anticancer Potential of Pulicaria crispa Extract on Human Breast Cancer MDA-MB-231 Cells
VOLUME: 16 ISSUE: 12
Author(s):Ibrahim Omar Barnawi and Imran Ali*
Affiliation:Department of Biology, College of Sciences, Taibah University, Al-Medina Al-Munawara - 41477, Department of Chemistry, College of Sciences, Taibah University, Al-Medina Al-Munawara - 41477
Keywords:Pulicaria crispa, extraction, anticancer, MDA-MB-231 cell lines, breast cancer cells, cytotoxicity.
Abstract:
Background: Breast cancer is the common cause of deaths among women globally with
15% mortality globally.
Introduction: Today, about 80% of the rural population depends on natural products as primary
health care. Pulicaria crispa (L., family Compositae) is utilized in traditional medicine for curing
colds, coughs, colic, and excessive sweating and as a carminative.
Methods: The extracts of Pulicaria crispa; grown in Saudi Arabia; were assessed to measure the
cytotoxicity with MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cell lines. Soxhlet extraction was utilized for stem,
leaves and flower with 70% ethanol. The cytotoxicity of the extracts with MDA-MB-231 breast cancer
cells was evaluated by 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT)
and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays.
Results: The apoptotic cellular morphological alterations were detected by fluorescence microscopes.
The results indicated that Pulicaria crispa exhibited a strong anticancer activity with a halfmaximal
inhibitory concentration (IC50) of 180 µg/mL against breast cancer cells. The loss in cell
integrity, shrinkage of cytoplasm, and cell detachment were seen in the extract treated with MDAMB-
231 cells. The cell death was due to membrane destruction.
Conclusion: Pulicaria crispa extracts indicated significant cytotoxicity against human breast cancer
cells (MDA-MB-231 cells). The extract of this plant may be given to the patients having breast
cancer.
