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

INTRODUCTION: Cnidoscolus aconitifolius (Mill.) I.M.Johnstone is a medicinal plant widely used in ethnomedicine for the treatment of cancer, and other diseases in parts of Nigeria
METHODS: The effects of the methanol extracts of the leaf, stem, and root barks were evaluated on the breast (MCF-7), and lung (NCI-H460) cancer cells at 1-250 µg/mL using SRB assay and the extracts were screened for phytochemicals using standard method. The active methanol extract of the leaf of C. aconitifolius was partitioned into aqueous and chloroform fractions.
RESULTS: The stem and root extracts showed no activity at the maximum concentration, while the leaf extract at 100 µg/mL showed a 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, where as GI50, and TGI of ~35.4 and ~55.8 µg/mL against lung cancer cells, respectively. However, the aqueous fraction showed no cytotoxicity against both cell lines.
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: These results have 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.