Cytotoxic activity of alcoholic extract and its fractions of Eulophia nuda tubers on MCF7 cell line

Abstract

The global burden of breast cancer is increasing with alarming rates among the women worldwide. The currently available therapies for breast cancer are associated with number of side effects. Hence there is a need to find the better alternative drugs for the treatment of breast cancer with fewer side effects. Eulophia nuda is one such terrestrial orchid which has been traditionally used for the treatment of tumours. In the present study, the alcoholic extract of E. nuda tuber and its different fractions were studied in-vitro for their cytotoxic activity using MTT assay on the MCF7 cell line. The results showed that the chloroform fraction at the concentration of 1000 µg/ml showed maximum cytotoxicity of 73.50% among all the fractions which was less than the cytotoxic activity of the alcoholic extract of E. nuda, 80.77%. The results suggested that the cytotoxic activity could be due to the synergistic action of the phytoconstituents present in the plant. Further in-vitro and in-vivo studies are necessary to establish the use of E. nuda for the treatment and management of the breast cancer.