African Journal of
Biotechnology

  • Abbreviation: Afr. J. Biotechnol.
  • Language: English
  • ISSN: 1684-5315
  • DOI: 10.5897/AJB
  • Start Year: 2002
  • Published Articles: 12496

Full Length Research Paper

Anti-tumor potential of total alkaloid extract of Prosopis juliflora DC. leaves against Molt-4 cells in vitro

Mani Sathiya and Krishnaswamy Muthuchelian*
Department of Bioenergy, School of Energy, Environment and Natural Resources, Madurai Kamaraj University, Madurai – 625 021, India.
Email: [email protected]

  •  Accepted: 13 January 2011
  •  Published: 15 August 2011

Abstract

The total alkaloid extract from Prosopis juliflora DC. leaves was obtained using acid/base modified extraction method. The in vitro anti-tumor potential of the extract was evaluated using MTT (3-(4,5-dimethythiazol-2yl)2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) based cytotoxicity monitoring after 24, 48 and 72 h exposure of the MOLT-4 cells (1×106 cells/ml medium) to different concentration of the extract ranging from 10 to 100 µg/ml medium. The genotoxic potential of the extract was also tested using cytokinesis block in vitro micronucleus assay. Simultaneously, the cytotoxic and genotoxic potential of the extract were compared with mitogen stimulated T-lymphocyte cultures derived from peripheral blood of healthy volunteers. The MTT test revealed that, the extract exhibited comparatively higher toxicity towards the cancer cells than the normal cells at all the tested concentrations and at all the time points studied.  The IC50 values of the extract at 24, 48 and 72 h were found to be 90.5, 42.5 and 20.0 µg/ml/1× 106 cells against cancer cells. The genotoxic assay showed that, in both cultures, the number of micronuclei obtained even at the highest exposure concentration tested was very low when compared with that of the micronuclei obtained with the positive control mitomycin-C. The results of the present investigation demonstrate that, P. julifloraleaf alkaloids are preferentially cytotoxic to human T-cell leukemia (Molt-4) cells in a dose and time dependent manner with the absence of genotoxicity.

 

Key words: Prospis juliflora, alkaloids, molt-4 cells, MTT test, micronucleus assay.

Abbreviation

RPMI, Roswell Park Memorial Institute medium; MTT, 3-(4,5-dimethythiazol-2yl)2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide; BNC, binucleated cells; IC50,concentration of the extract required for 50% of reduction in cell proliferation.