title: Proliferative effects of five traditional Nigerian medicinal plant extracts on human breast and bone cancer cell lines.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The medicinal plants Hunteria umbellata (HUL), Cola lepidota (CCL), Persea americana leaf (PAL), Root bark of Persea americana (RPA) and Plukenetia conophora (PCL) are used in Nigerian traditional medicine for the treatment of cancer and cancer related diseases.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To scientifically evaluate the cell proliferative and apoptotic effects of the plants extracts using breast and osteocarcinoma cell lines, and also to identify the possible components via LC-MS to have a kind of chemical fingerprint.
  
  
  METHODS
  The antiproliferative and apoptotic effects of methanolic extracts (10 μg/ml) of the five medicinal plants were subjected to in vitro evaluation using four cancer cell lines (breast-MCF-7 and BT-20; Osteocarcinoma-MG-63 and Saos-2) measured by flow cytometry. Non-tumorigenic controls MCF-12A and primary isolated osteoblasts (POB) were chosen to eliminate negative influence on healthy tissue.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the five extracts RPA demonstrated a significant (P<0.05) anti-proliferative activity against estrogen receptor positive breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7). The proliferative phase was decreased by 18%, whereas, a significant increase in cell proliferation (about 27%) was observed for RPA at a concentration of 10 μg/ml. PCL, CCL, HUL and PAL did not show marked inhibition of the proliferation of cell line MCF-7.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results give suggestive evidence that the plant extracts exhibit some correlation between the claimed ethnomedicinal uses and the cell proliferative activity. RPA extract includes chemical compounds with estrogen-like activity and validates its potential use as anticancer agent, particularly against breast carcinoma; provided important information potentially helpful in drug designing and discovery. Further studies will involve the isolation of anti tumour compounds in RPA by LC-MS and detailed mechanism of anticancer activities.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, Biomedical Research Center, University of Rostock, Schillingallee 69, 18057 Rostock, Germany.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Engel
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Oppermann
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Falodun
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Kragl
mesh_terms: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D017209:Apoptosis / Q000187:drug effects; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects*; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha / Q000378:metabolism; D047629:Estrogen Receptor beta / Q000378:metabolism; D005260:Female; D005434:Flow Cytometry; D005455:Fluorescent Antibody Technique; D006801:Humans; D016488:Medicine, African Traditional; D009549:Nigeria; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D047628:Estrogen Receptor alpha; D047629:Estrogen Receptor beta; D010936:Plant Extracts