Cytotoxic Effects of Artemisia annua Methanol Extract on Cancer Cell Lines in Vitro

Background & Aims: In most cases, drugs used for the treatment of cancer are not effective or have unpleasant side-effects. This has forced scientists to find more effective drugs with less toxicity. Artemisia is an important medicinal plant in the world and anti-tumoral activity of some Artemisia species has been reported. This study was designed for evaluation of anti-tumoral effect of methanol extract isolated from Artemisia annua on different cancer cell lines. Methods: Methanol extract of Artemisia annua was prepared. Cultivated gastric (AGS), cervix (Hela), colon (HT-۲۹) and breast (MCF-۷) cancer cell lines and normal fibroblast cells (L۹۲۹) were incubated with different concentrations of methanol extract for ۷۲ hours and cell growth inhibition was determined using MTT assay. Results: Results of MTT assay showed strong and dose-dependent inhibition of cancer cell growth by methanol extract of Artemisia annua. This extract caused a significant decrease in proliferation of tested cancer cell lines and had less toxicity on normal cells. Conclusion: Since the results suggest anti- tumoral activity of Artemisia annua, isolation of effective compound/s of this extract and evaluation of its/their effects on tumor-bearing animal models are suggested.

Keywords:

Artemisia annua , Tumor cell lines , Growth inhibitors , MTT assay