Cytotoxicity studies of Tamus communis root and berries extracts on human HEp-2 and AMN-3 carcinoma cells

Plan: In the present study, the steroidal fraction was isolated from the ethanolic extract of T.communis root and berries (TCRE &TCBE, % yield: 0.035 and 0.032 respectively) and screened for their cytotoxicity against human epidermoid laryngocarcinoma (HEp-2) and Ahmed-Mohammad-Nahi-2003 mammary adenocarcinoma (AMN-3) cell lines. Methodology:Tamus communis (F: Dioscoreaceae) is a plant, growing wildly in the northern part of Iraq, mainly contains the steroidal sapogenin, diosgenin, in its roots and berries. In the present study, the steroidal fraction was isolated from the ethanolic extract of T.communis root and berries (TCRE &TCBE, % yield: 0.035 and 0.032 respectively) and screened for their cytotoxicity against human epidermoid laryngocarcinoma (HEp-2) and Ahmed-Mohammad-Nahi-2003 mammary adenocarcinoma (AMN-3) cell lines. The presence of diosgenin was confirmed in the extract by HPLC methods with standard diosgenin sample. Outcome:The plant extracts, TCRE and TCBE showed better cytotoxic effect (IC50 342.56 μg/ml and 386.55μg/ml) on HEp-2 cell line than pure diosgenin (IC50 409.29 μg/ml), while diosgenin was more toxic to AMN-3 cell lines (IC50 360.04μg/ml) compared to the plant extracts (TCRE: IC50 400.28 and TCBE: 465.64μg/ml respectively).