Antineoplastic activity of a methanolic extract from Kigelia pinnata DC stem bark

Background: The study was aimed to assess the antineoplastic activity of a total methanolic extract (TME) from the stem bark of Kigelia pinnata - an African medicinal plant with well-documented ethnopharmacological use.Methods: The in vitro testing included cytotoxicity (MTT assay) and pro-apoptotic activity investigation. The antineoplastic activity of TME was investigated in Lewis lung carcinoma (LLC) bearing BDF-1 mice.Results: TME displayed prominent cytotoxicity against a panel of human tumor cell lines. TME evoked DNA laddering in SKW-3 cells, indicative for induction of apoptosis. TME exerted strong antineoplastic activity against LLC with prominent increase of the life span of treated animals and tumor growth inhibition.Conclusion: On the basis of the in vitro studies and the observed in vivo antineoplastic potential of the plant it could be concluded that there is enormous scope for future investigations on K. africana as a source of potential anticancer agents.