IN VITRO CYTOTOXIC EVALUATION OF KARHEE WEED

ANTICANCER ACTIVITY OF KARHEE

Abstract

Locally famous Karhee or Berre (Sorbaria tomentosa) exhibits medicinal value is large woody shrub indigenous to Pakistan. The present study examined the cytotoxic activities of S. tomentosa using methanolic extracts and fractions (n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate and water) against three cáncer cell lines (lung A-549, hepatocellular HepG2and urinary bladder EI-138). Cytotoxic assays were carried out with five different concentrations (0.05, 0.01, 0.05, 0.1 and 0.5 mg/mL) of methanolic extract and its sub fraction through MTT assay. Results revealed n-hexane and ethyl acetate fraction being the most potent against all test cancer cell lines with higher IC50 values. Both fractions also exhibited the maximum reduction in the cell viability in dose dependent manner. Preliminary results suggest the promising anticancer potential of n-hexane and ethyl acetate S. tomentosa against lung A-549, hepatocellular HepG2and urinary bladder EI-138 cell lines. Further studies are required to know the mechanism(s) involved in the cell death.