Study of the antitumor potential of Bidens pilosa (Asteraceae) used in Brazilian folk medicine.
OBJECTIVE
Bidens pilosa (L.) (Asteraceae) is a medicinal plant traditionally used in Brazil for treating conditions that can be related to cancer. Therefore the present study was carried out to evaluate the antitumor activity of extracts obtained from the aerial parts of this plant species.


METHODS
The crude hydroalcoholic extract (HAE) (water:alcohol, 6:4) and solvent fractions (chloroform=CHCl3,ethyl acetate=EtOAc, methanol=MeOH) were assessed for cytotoxicity assay by the brine shrimp and hemolytic, MTT and NRU assays. The antiproliferative potential of the crude extract and fractions was investigated in vivo using the Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC) in isogenic Balb/c mice that were administered intraperitoneally 150 and 300 mg/kg body weight per day for nine days beginning 24 h after tumor inoculation.


RESULTS
In in vitro cytotoxicity using Ehrlich ascites carcinoma cell line assay CHCl3 extract proved to be more toxic than the crude HAE with an IC(50) of 97+/-7.2 and 83+/-5.2 microg/mL to NRU and MTT, respectively. Histomorphological evaluations indicated that the treatment with CHCl3 and HAE extracts significantly reduced (P<0.05) body weight, abdominal circumference, tumor volume, packed cell volume and viable cell count, when compared to EAC control group. Furthermore, nonviable tumor cell count increased significantly (P<0.01) only under treatment with CHCl3 or HAE, and this was accompanied by a marked percentage increase in life span (54.2 and 41.7%, respectively). Biochemical assays revealed that CHCl3 and HAE extracts were also able to decrease serum LDH activity (39.5 and 30.6%) and GSH concentration (94.6 and 50.7%) in ascitic fluid, respectively.


CONCLUSIONS
The chloroform fraction showed the best and methanolic the worst antitumor activity.
Kviecinski
Maicon Roberto
MR
Departamento de Bioquímica, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil.
Felipe
Karina Bettega
KB
Schoenfelder
Tatiana
T
de Lemos Wiese
Luiz Paulo
LP
Rossi
Maria Helena
MH
Gonçalez
Edlayne
E
Felicio
Joana D'arc
JD
Filho
Danilo Wilhelm
DW
Pedrosa
Rozangela Curi
RC
D000818:Animals; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001156:Artemia; D031176:Bidens; D001938:Brazil; D002286:Carcinoma, Ehrlich Tumor / Q000188:drug therapy; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008519:Medicine, Traditional; D051379:Mice; D008807:Mice, Inbred BALB C; D008517:Phytotherapy
D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D004365:Drugs, Chinese Herbal; C442780:plant extract, Bidens pilosa; D007770:L-Lactate Dehydrogenase