Phytochemical and in-vitro Biological Investigation of Indian Traditional Medicinal Plants for their Cytotoxicity and Hepatoprotective Potential

Abstract

Objective: This study aimed to select 16 medicinal plants based on their folklore remedy for treating various diseases like inflammation, cancer, etc., and scientifically validate their potency.

Methods: Five among them, namely Centella asiatica (CA), Myristica fragrans (MF), Trichosanthes palmata (TP), Woodfordia fruticosa (WF), and Curculigo orchioides (CO), were scientifically confirmed through the extraction and in-vitro cytotoxic and hepatoprotective evaluation. Based on the cytotoxic and hepatoprotective results, the various fractions of CO were chosen for an in-depth phytochemical study to isolate and characterize active compounds by GC-MS.

Results: The results showed promising cytotoxic activity (i.e., IC₅₀=<100 μg/ml) against HeLa cell lines and significant hepatoprotective activity in a dose-dependent manner on CCl₄ intoxicated isolated hepatocyte cells.

Conclusion: The present study confirmed the scientific evidence regarding the effectiveness of selected medicinal plants in HeLa and hepatocyte cells. Furthermore, a detailed study on their mechanism of action and clinical application is suggested.

Keywords: GC-MS; HeLa cell lines; MTT assay; Medicinal plants; cytotoxicity; hepatocytes; hepatoprotective.