title: Cytotoxic and apoptotic activity of Cheilanthes farinosa (Forsk.) Kaulf. against human hepatoma, Hep3B cells.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Cheilanthes farinosa (Forsk.) Kaulf., family: Adianthaceae, is a fern of immense medicinal properties used in ethno-medicine. The Gaddis tribe of Himachal Pradesh, India, has been using this fern to treat liver damage. Aim of the current study was to determine the apoptosis inducing and cytotoxic activity, if any, of this fern towards hepatic cancer cells.
  
  
  METHODS
  Water extract of the plant was used in the study. MTT assay was performed in hepatocellular carcinoma cell line, Hep3B as well as murine macrophage cell line, RAW264.7 to analyze the cytotoxic activity of the plant. Further, the apoptosis inducing action of water extract of the plant was evaluated using comet assay, DNA fragmentation analysis, DAPI staining of chromatin and Annexin V-FITC staining.
  
  
  RESULTS
  This plant was found to produce considerable cytotoxicity in hepatoma cell line, Hep3B without inducing substantial damage to non-cancerous cell line RAW264.7. In addition, this plant was found to induce apoptosis in Hep3B cells. This was substantiated by comet assay, DNA fragmentation analysis, DAPI staining of chromatin and Annexin V-FITC staining for detecting early stage of apoptosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This investigation shows that the water extract of Cheilanthes farinosa has antiproliferative and apoptotic activity in human liver cancer cells and is not deleterious towards non-cancerous macrophage cell line.
authors.affiliation: Bioprospecting and Molecular Pharmacology Laboratory, Division of Molecular Medicine and Cancer Biology, Rajiv Gandhi Centre for Biotechnology, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala 695014, India.
authors.forename: N Krishna
authors.initials: NK
authors.lastname: Radhika
authors.forename: P S
authors.initials: PS
authors.lastname: Sreejith
authors.forename: V V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Asha
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects*; D006528:Carcinoma, Hepatocellular / Q000473:pathology*; D002460:Cell Line; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D020552:Comet Assay; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; D006801:Humans; D008113:Liver Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D051379:Mice; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D029625:Pteridaceae / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents; D010936:Plant Extracts