Mitracarpus hirtus (L.) DC.: is a potential source for the exploitation of anticancer agents

Abstract

Mitracarpus hirtus (L.) DC. is a weed plant commonly used for the treatment of eczema. The potential of the plant to treat cancer has not been emphasized, hence the need to explore its anticancer potential. M. hirtus was extracted and subjected to petition with solvents of increasing polarity. Its cytotoxic potential was evaluated against MCF-7, HepG2, and HeLa cells using the Neutral red assay and further verified through morphological assessment and DNA fragmentation assay. Crude chloroform fraction (CCF) displayed a cytotoxic effect on all the cell lines with low IC₅₀ concentrations ranging from 11–17.87 µg/mL. Morphological assessment of MCF-7 exposed to CCF indicates apoptotic cell death and is further confirmed by its DNA fragmentation. Our data suggest that M. hirtus is a potential source for mining anticancer agents.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Mitracarpus hirtus
• cancer
• anticancer agents
• MCF-7
• apoptosis

Disclosure statement

The authors report there are no competing interests to declare.

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.