In vitro cytotoxicity of Strobilanthes crispus ethanol extract on hormone dependent human breast adenocarcinoma MCF-7 cell

Strobilanthes cripus was able to reduce cell viability and proliferation in MTT and BrdU assays. Both cell cycle progression and Tunel assay suggested that IC50 of S. crispus ethanol extract induced sub-G1 cell cycle phase, and DNA fragmentation. On the other hand, translocation of mitochondria cytochrome c release, induction of caspase 3/7 and p53 while suppress XIAP on treated MCF-7 cell were also observed in this study.Our findings suggest that S. crispus ethanol extract induced apoptosis and DNA fragmentation on hormone dependent breast cancer cell line MCF-7 via mitochondria dependent p53 apoptosis pathway.Chemoprevention is a strategy of cancer control by administration of synthetic or natural compounds to intervene in or halt the progress of carcinogenesis. Chemoprevention is a promising anticancer approach aimed to reduce the morbidity and mortality of cancer by delaying the process of carcinogenesis. Chemopreventive plants therefore, provide the genetic basis for cancer therapy [1]. In the last decade, advances in cancer research have enhanced our understanding on the nature of a cancer. Among the most important of these is that genes that control survival and death of cancerous cell. These genes have a major effect on malignancy through the disruption of the apoptotic process that leads to tumor initiation, progression and metastasis. Induction of apoptosis is considered as one of the important targets in chemoprevention. Apoptosis, or programmed cell death, is a cellular suicide program in which individual cells are destroyed while the integrity and architecture of surrounding tissue is preserved [2].More recently, disease-oriented screening of medicinal plants is utilized as essential tool for new drug discovery. Medicinal plants derived from these studies are being increasingly used by the general public as herbal products on a self-selection basis to either replace or complement modern medicines [3]. One of the medicinal plants that have received great