Cytotoxicity of the Extracts of Lamiaceae Plant Species against a Breast Cancer Cell Line

Breast cancer is a common human neoplasia in women. Species of the Lamiaceae plant have been found to exert in vitro anti-proliferative activity on breast cancer cells. The aim of this study was to evaluate the cytotoxic effect of the extracts of ten species from the Lamiaceae family on a breast cancer cell line. We also examined the selective indices of the fractions and essential oil of the most effective extract.

The plant species were harvested, dried and authenticated. The hydro-alcoholic extract of each plant was examined for its cytotoxicity on the breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) using MTT assay. The n-Hexane, chloroform and ethyl acetate fractions were prepared from Nepeta crispa extract. Hydro-distillation method was used to isolate the Nepeta crispa’s essential oil. The essential oil and the fractions were examined in vitro for the cytotoxic effects against both HEK293 and MCF-7 cell lines.

The Nepeta crispa extract exhibited significant cytotoxic activity on MCF-7 (IC50 = 59 ±3.4μg/mL) compared to other extracts. The n-hexane fraction of Nepeta crispa demonstrated the highest cytotoxicity (IC50 = 65.47 ±4.3μg/mL) among other fractions. The essential oil exhibited concentration-dependent inhibition against the growth of cancer cells, and showed the most inhibitory effect against MCF-7 cells (IC50 = 18.15 ±2.7μg/mL) with a selectivity index of 9.69.

Based on the results, the n-hexane fraction and essential oil of Nepeta crispa may be the potential sources of biologically active components to develop novel drugs for breast cancer treatment.