In vitro toxicological evaluation of plant extracts using Jurkat cell line
Student name: Mr Mohit Bakshi
Guide: Dr. Ramakrishnan Sitaraman
Year of completion: 2011
Host Organisation: Defence Institute of Physiology & Allied Sciences, Defence R&D Organization, Ministry of Defence
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Dr Praveen Vats
Abstract: The aim of the present study is to evaluate the in vitro anticancer activity of aqueous extract of 6 plant and
determine their ability for cytotoxic events.The Jurkat cell line were exposed to 6 plant extracts piper longum,
piper nigrum, Zingiber officinale , Glycyrrhiza glabra, Phyllanthus emblica and trikatu (0-1000µg/ml) for 24
hour.Follwing exposure to extracts cytotoxicity was determined with lactate dehydrogenase leakage
assay(LDH),Trypan blue assay and MTT assay.
The piper longum extract did not exhibit any cytotoxicity per se upto 250 µg/ml but it did showed decreased cell
viability at 500 µg/ml and 1000 µg/ml. A significant increase in intracellular LDH leakage into the culture
medium was observed and significant reduction in activity of mitochondria seen at 500 µg/ml and 100 µg/ml
concentartion.Similar findings were observed for Piper nigrum extracts and cytotoxicity was observed at
concentration above 500 µg/ml. Similarly when jurkat cells were exposed to Zingiber officinale extract it
showed increased cytotoxicity and decreased cell viability at concentration above 500 µg/ml.
However when cells were exposed to aqueous extracts of trikatu, cell viability reduced significantly at
concentration above 50 µg/ml and increased cytotoxicity ,measured by LDH assay and MTT assay, was
observed from concentration 50-1000 µg/ml in dose dependent manner.Similar findings were observed for
mulathi.
Exposure of aqueous extracts of phyllanthus emblica were shown to induce cytotoxicity above 100 µg/ml and
showed 26 % ,79% and 91% cytotoxicity at 250 µg/ml,500 µg/ml and 1000 µg/ml respectively.
