Antileishmanial and lung adenocarcinoma cell toxicity of Withania somnifera (Linn.) dunal root and fruit extracts

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the anti-Leishmania major and the lung adenocarcinoma (A549) cytotoxicity of Withania somnifera root and fruit. The total extracts were obtained by homogenisation in aqueous MeOH, and the sub-extracts [n-hexane, ethyl acetate (EtOAc), n-butanol (n-BuOH), and methanol (MeOH)] were obtained by flash chromatography. The activity evaluation showed that n-BuOH sub-extracts from root and fruit exhibited noticeable antileishmanial promastigote properties. The n-hexane and EtOAc sub-extracts from both organs, and the MeOH sub-extract from the fruit exerted mild to moderate effects on the promastigotes. In-vitro growth-inhibitory test results on axenic amastigote and cytotoxicity testing on macrophages (RAW264.7), the parasite-host at the amastigote stage, revealed that the activity was mainly concentrated in the root EtOAc and n-BuOH sub-extracts and to a lesser extent the fruit MeOH and EtOAc, and the root n-hexane sub-extracts. Only the roots' EtOAc and n-BuOH sub-extracts demonstrated low cytotoxicity on the A549 cell line.

Graphical Abstract

Keywords:

• Plant extracts
• leishmaniasis
• lung neoplasms
• Withania somnifera
• A549 cells

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

The authors thanks the ministry of education and the deanship of research, Najran University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia for their financial and technical support under code number (NU/MID/17/060).