Potent anti-proliferative effects against oral and cervical cancers of Thai medicinal plants selected from the Thai/Lanna medicinal plant recipe database “MANOSROI III”

Abstract

Context: Thai/Lanna medicinal plant recipes have been used for the treatment of several diseases including oral and cervical cancers.

Objective: To investigate anti-proliferative activity on human cervical (HeLa) and oral (KB) cancer cell lines of medicinal plants selected from Thai/Lanna medicinal plant recipe database “MANOSROI III”.

Materials and methods: Twenty-three methanolic plant crude extracts were tested for phytochemicals and anti-proliferative activity on HeLa and KB cell lines for 24 h by the sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay at the doses of 1 × 10¹–1 × 10⁻⁶mg/ml. The nine extracts with the concentrations giving 50% growth inhibition (GI₅₀) lower than 100 µg/ml were further semi-purified by liquid/liquid partition in order to evaluate and enhance the anti-proliferative potency.

Results: All extracts contained steroids/triterpenoids, but not xanthones. The methanolic extracts of Gloriosa superba L. (Colchinaceae) root and Albizia chinensis (Osbeck) Merr. (Leguminosae–Mimosoideae) wood gave the highest anti-proliferative activity on HeLa and KB cell lines with the GI₅₀ values of 0.91 (6.0- and 0.31-fold of cisplatin and doxorubicin) and 0.16 µg/ml (28.78- and 82.29-fold of cisplatin and doxorubicin), respectively. Hexane and methanol–water fractions of G. superba exhibited the highest anti-proliferative activity on HeLa and KB cell lines with the GI₅₀ values of 0.15 (37- and 1.9-fold of cisplatin and doxorubicin) and 0.058 µg/ml (77.45- and 221.46-fold of cisplatin and doxorubicin), respectively.

Discussion and conclusion: This study has demonstrated the potential of plants selected from MANOSROI III database especially G. superba and A. chinensis for further development as anti-oral and cervical cancer agents.

• Anti-proliferative effects
• cervical cancer
• oral cancer
• “MANOSROI III” database
• thai medicinal plants

Declaration of interest

The authors report that they have no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of the article. The authors would like to thank the Agricultural Research Development Agency (Public Organization) the investment funds following the Royal Decree (ARDA) in Thailand; the Institute of Thai Traditional Medicine, Ministry of Public Health, Nonthaburi, Thailand and Manose Health and Beauty Research Center, in Chiang Mai, Thailand for their financial supports of this study.