Evaluation of cytotoxic effect of <i>Tetrapleura tetraptera</i> (Mimosaceae) pod, root and stem bark extracts on AU565 breast cancer cells

Abstract

Tetrapleura tetraptera is a medicinal plant used to treat a variety of diseases, including tumor-related ailments in ethnomedical practice. This study was undertaken to assess its pod, root, and stem bark extracts for cytotoxicity against AU 565 human breast cancer cell line. The plant parts were extracted with methanol and organic solvent partitioning carried out on the pod extract using hexane and chloroform. Preliminary screening was conducted on the extracts and fractions with brine shrimp of Artemia salina nauplii (10-1000 g/mL) and growth inhibition test with Sorghum bicolor seed radicles (5 mg/mL). Antiproliferation effect on AU565 was assessed by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay at 50 μg/mL. The extracts showed moderate cytotoxic activity with A. salina nauplii. T. tetraptera root extract produced the highest antiproliferative activity, with +99.79 % inhibition on AU 565 cell line. No cytotoxic action was observed with the pod extract on the cell line but its chloroform fraction had high growth inhibitory action on S. bicolor radicles and high cytotoxic effect on the cancer cell line, with 81.98 and 82.27% inhibitions realized respectively. The root bark extract and chloroform fraction of the pod extract demonstrated potent cytotoxic activity on the cell line and seem to justify the use of the plant in preparation of recipes for tumor-related ailments.