Evaluation of the Anticancer Potential of the Traditional Medicinal Herb <I>Isodon coetsa</I>

Abstract

Cancer is one of the most dreadful diseases engulfing mankind with the toll of life being taken away. Researchers always focus on traditional medicines to overcome such diseases because of the side effects and high cost of synthetic drugs making it inaccessible especially for inhabitants of developing countries. Isodon is a genus well established in Chinese folk medicines and have reported activities of anticancer effect with low toxicity due to the presence of biologically active diterpenoids. Thus, a study on the anticancer potential of Isodon coetsa was conducted using cytotoxic and cell viability assays which included Allium cepa assay, Evans blue staining and Trypan blue exclusion assay. A. cepa assay revealed the cytotoxic activity of I. coetsa which increased with increasing concentrations and time durations. Evans blue staining of the methanolic extract treated A. cepa root meristems also showed increase in activity in dose dependent manner which confirmed the ability of plant extracts to induce cell death. Cell viability assays conducted against methanolic extract treated DLA and EAC cell lines also revealed cytotoxic activity which also increased with increase in concentration of the extract. The IC50 value of the extract was found to be 1.21 ± 0.02 mg/mL against DLA cell line and 1.36 ± 0.01 mg/mL against EAC cell line. The results obtained establish the ability of I. coetsa to induce cell death in dividing cells which is an essential phenomenon in anticancer therapy. The assays conducted thus affirm the use of the species in folk medicines as well as makes it a promising candidate in anticancer research.

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