Exploring the anti-cancer potential of medicinal plants in Ethiopia
07/22/2020 // Evangelyn Rodriguez // Views

In this study, researchers from Ethiopia and Sweden investigated the toxicity of extracts derived from seven medicinal plants traditionally used to treat breast cancer in Ethiopia. Their findings were published in the Journal of Medicinal Plants Research.

  • According to traditional healers, Sideroxylon oxyacanthumZanthoxylum chalybeumClematis simensis, Clematis longicauda, Dovyalis abyssinica, Vernonia leopoldi and Clerodendrum myricoides are the most frequently used medicinal plants to treat breast cancer.
  • Using methanol as solvent, the researchers obtained crude extracts from all seven plants and tested their cytotoxicity in a dose-response assay.
  • They then fractionated the methanol extracts of the most toxic plants to gain petroleum ether, hexane, chloroform, ethyl acetate and water fractions. These were also tested for cytotoxicity.
  • The researchers reported that the extracts from Z. chalybeum and C. myricoides were not toxic.
  • On the other hand, the crude extracts of S. oxyacanthum, C. simensis and D. abyssinica proved cytotoxic to human breast cancer cell lines (JIMT-1, MCF-7 and HCC1937) at half-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) below 1 mcg/mL.
  • The ethyl acetate fraction of V. leopoldi was found to be the most cytotoxic fraction, with an IC50 of 0.87 mcg/mL against JIMT-1 cells.
  • The aqueous fraction of S. oxyacanthum and the chloroform fraction of C. simensis were also found to be cytotoxic.

Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that some Ethiopian medicinal plants are great sources of new compounds that can be developed for breast cancer treatment. Among these, V. leopoldiS. oxyacanthum and C. simensis fractions were found to be highly cytotoxic at low concentrations against breast cancer cells.

Read the full study at this link.

Journal Reference:

Nigatu T, Daniel S, Endalamaw G, Beyene P, Stina O. CYTOTOXICITY OF SELECTED ETHIOPIAN MEDICINAL PLANTS USED IN TRADITIONAL BREAST CANCER TREATMENT AGAINST BREAST-DERIVED CELL LINES. Journal of Medicinal Plants Research. May 2019;13(9):188–198. DOI: 10.5897/jmpr2019.6772



Take Action:
Support Natural News by linking to this article from your website.
Permalink to this article:
Copy
Embed article link:
Copy
Reprinting this article:
Non-commercial use is permitted with credit to NaturalNews.com (including a clickable link).
Please contact us for more information.
Free Email Alerts
Get independent news alerts on natural cures, food lab tests, cannabis medicine, science, robotics, drones, privacy and more.
App Store
Android App
eTrust Pro Certified

This site is part of the Natural News Network © 2022 All Rights Reserved. Privacy | Terms All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing International, LTD. is not responsible for content written by contributing authors. The information on this site is provided for educational and entertainment purposes only. It is not intended as a substitute for professional advice of any kind. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. Your use of this website indicates your agreement to these terms and those published here. All trademarks, registered trademarks and servicemarks mentioned on this site are the property of their respective owners.

This site uses cookies
Natural News uses cookies to improve your experience on our site. By using this site, you agree to our privacy policy.
Learn More
Close
Get 100% real, uncensored news delivered straight to your inbox
You can unsubscribe at any time. Your email privacy is completely protected.