title: Preliminary screening of some traditional Zulu medicinal plants for antineoplastic activities versus the HepG2 cell line.
abstract: Aqueous and methanol extracts of nine traditional Zulu medicinal plants, Cissus quandrangularis L., Cyphostemma flaviflorum (Sprague) Descoings, Cyphostemma lanigerum (Harv.) Descoings ex Wild & Drum, Cyphostemma natalitium (Szyszyl.) J. v. d. Merwe, Cyphostemma sp., Rhoicissus digitata (L. F.) Gilg & Brandt, Rhoicissus rhomboidea (E. Mey. Ex harv.) Planch, Rhoicissus tomentosa (Lam.) Wild & Drum, R. tridentata (L. F.) Wild & Drum and Rhoicissus tridentata (L. F.) Wild & Drum subsp. cuneifolia (Eckl. & Zeyh.) N. R. Urton, all belonging to the Vitaceae family, were evaluated to determine their therapeutic potentials as antineoplastic agents. The antiproliferative activity in vitro against HepG2 cells was determined. Twenty-two of the twenty-seven crude plant extracts showed activities ranging from 25% to 97% inhibition of proliferation when compared with the control which showed no inhibitory activity. Higher degrees of growth inhibition were found in aqueous root extracts in comparison with the methanol extracts of the same plant parts. The results show potential antineoplastic activity, indicating some scientific validation for traditional usage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry and Microbiology, University of Zululand, KwaDlangezwa 3886, South Africa.
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Opoku
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Geheeb-Keller
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lin
authors.forename: S E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Terblanche
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hutchings
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Chuturgoon
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Pillay
mesh_terms: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D016488:Medicine, African Traditional; D008517:Phytotherapy; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D013019:South Africa; D014407:Tumor Cells, Cultured / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D010936:Plant Extracts