ISHS Acta Horticulturae 597: International Conference on Medicinal and Aromatic Plants (Part II)
CYTOTOXIC EFFECTS OF VITEX AGNUS-CASTUS FRUIT EXTRACT AGAINST HUMAN CULTURED UTERINE CERVICAL FIBROBLAST, BREAST CANCER AND OVARIAN CANCER CELLS, AND ITS BIOCHEMICAL MECHANISM |
| Authors: | K. Ohyama, T. Akaike, Y. Shimotuura, C. Hirobe, T. Yamakawa, S. Hirakawa, T. Bessho |
| Keywords: | anti-tumour activity, apoptosis, flavonoid, cell cycle, Vitex agnus-castus, |
| DOI: | 10.17660/ActaHortic.2003.597.23 |
| Abstract:
From dried ripened Vitex agnus-castus fruit growing in Israel a crude extract was prepared with methanol and ethanol. Cytotoxicity of this extract against human uterine cervical canal fibroblast (HCF), and breast and ovarian cancer cells (SKOV-3 and MCF-7) was then examined. After these cells were cultured on a 96 well micro-culture plate for 24 hr (logarithmic growth phase), various concentrations of Vitex extract were added to each well and incubated for 48 hr. Viability of these cells was measured by XTT-dye reduction assay. It was shown that at the logarithmic growth phase, growth activity of these cells were higher, and cytotoxic activity of Vitex extracts against these cells was more effective. These cells were cultured for 72 hr (at the stationary growth phase) and treated with various concentrations of Vitex extracts for 48 hr. At the stationary phase of these cells, cytotoxicity of Vitex extracts was the most effective against SKOV-3, and the activity against MCF-7 was higher than that against non-cancer cells (HCF). Analysis by agarose gel electrophoresis showed that DNA fragmentation was revealed only with SKOV-3 cells treated with Vitex extract at the stationary growth phase. It is concluded that the cytotoxic activity of Vitex extract may be attributed to growth activity of respective cells, that cytotoxic activity against cancer cells at the stationary phase was significantly higher than that of non-cancer cells, and that the cytotoxicity against SKOV-3 cells may take place through apoptosis. | |
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