Cytotoxic effect of Artemisia absinthium L. grown at two different altitudes on human breast cancer cell line MCF7

Taking into account the resistance of cancer cells to chemical drugs and considering the various reports on the effects of plants from the genus Artemisia for the cure of various ailments and diseases, this investigation was undertaken to compare the cytotoxic effects of different plant organs collected from low and high altitudes. In this study the cytotoxicity of methanol extracts from the flower, leaf, stem and root of Artemisia absinthium collected from two different altitudes, on breast cancer cell line MCF7 and Human Embryonic Kidney cell line (HEK293) was evaluated. This research was performed experimentally. The breast cancer cell line MCF7 and normal cell line HEK293 were cultured in RPMI-1640 and DMEM media respectively supplemented with 10% Fetal Calf Serum (FCS). Plant materials were extracted by methanol solvent and the cellular toxicity measured using 3- (4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay at different concentrations (31.25, 62.5, 125, 250, 500 μg/ml). The cytotoxic effect of the methanol extract from different organs of A.absinthium at higher altitude was 20% - 30% higher as compared with lower altitude. Plant extracts obtained from the flowers and roots of this species at the higher altitude showed the highest and the lowest cytotoxicity on MCF7 with IC50 221 and >500 µg/ml respectively. The cytotoxicity of this species on normal HEK293 cells was 20% - 30% lower than the cancer cells. It appears that the A.absinthium plants growing at a higher altitude have a higher cytotoxic effect.