IN VITRO SCREENING OF CYTOTOXIC ACTIVITY OF VIETNAMESE MEDICINAL PLANTS

Tóm tắt

Cancer remains a leading cause of mortality worldwide, and the discovery of new anticancer agents is crucial for improving therapy. Natural products, including medicinal plants, are promising sources of bioactive compounds with potential anticancer effects. In this study, twenty-six 70% ethanol extracts from twenty-three species were initially screened for cytotoxicity against A549 and MCF-7 cells, leading to the selection of two promising extracts, Piper longum and Cratoxylum cochinchinense, for further evaluation against eight cell lines, including seven cancer cell lines and one non-cancerous cell line (JB6 CI41). Phytochemical investigation of the ethyl acetate fraction of C. cochinchinense yielded five xanthones with moderate cytotoxic activity, whereas the ethyl acetate fraction of P. longum afforded alkaloids with stronger cytotoxic activity. Among the compounds isolated from P. longum, guineensine was identified as the most potent compound (IC₅₀: 2.17–4.47 µM), followed by piperine (IC₅₀: 3.82–7.99 µM) and methyl piperate (IC₅₀: 4.37–9.45 µM). These compounds are proposed as bioactive markers for the development of standardized extraction procedures and quality control. Overall, this study expands the knowledge of bioactive compounds from medicinal plants and identifies potential anticancer agents.