Abstract

The research was conducted to determine the anticarcinogenic properties of “rumput mutiara” (Hedyotis corymbosa (L.) Lam) and “pohpohan” (Pilea trinervia (Roxb.) Wight), by the microculture tetrazolium salt (MTT) assay on the human breast carcinoma dependent-hormone (MCF-7) cell lines.  The preliminary results showed that the “rumput mutiara” extract displayed the cytotoxic effects against MCF-7 with IC₅₀-value of 22,67 µg/ml. However, the “pohpohan” extract did not show the  IC₅₀-value against MCF-7 cell lines. The antioxidative activities of the extracts which could contribute to their cytotoxic properties were also studied. The “rumput mutiara” extract was found to have higher antioxidant activity compared with “pohpohan” extract. The strong cytotoxic properties of the “rumput mutiara” extract could be due to its high antioxidant activity.

Key words: Microculture tetrazolium salt assay, Hedyotis corymbosa, Pilea trinervia, MCF-7, antioxidant activity, cytotoxic properties.