CYTOTOXICITY AND ANTI-PROLIFERATIVE STUDIES OF Crinum Jagus L. (Amaryllidaceae) BULB EXTRACT
Keywords:
Crinum jagus, Brine Shrimps, Sorghum bicolor, Allium cepa, Cytotoxicity, antiproliferativeAbstract
Crinum jagus is a flowering plant, commonly called poison bulb. Traditionally, the bulb extract
is used in the treatment of several ailments including cancer. Cancer is a global cause of death
characterized by abnormal cell proliferation. This research thus aimed to identify secondary
metabolites present in the crude extract of C. jagus and evaluate its cytotoxic and
antiproliferative activities using bench top assays. Whole C. jagus bulb was collected, air-dried
under the shade and extracted into distilled methanol. The extract was concentrated in vacuum
and subjected to; phytochemical analysis, brine shrimp lethality (BSL) assay, Sorghum bicolor
radical and Allium cepa root growth inhibitory assays. Data obtained was analyzed by
Graphpad prism version 6.0. The whole bulb on extraction had a percentage yield of 12.15 %
w/w. The phytochemical content of the extract includes alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins and some
glycosides. The extract demonstrated concentration dependent brine shrimp lethality (LC50 of
65.62±0.74 μg/mL), Sorghum bicolor radical growth inhibition (IC50 = 5.36±3.21μg/mL) and
significant Allium cepa root growth inhibition comparative to cyclophosphamide (a standard
anticancer drug). The extract was found to be rich in secondary metabolites which elicited
significant cytotoxicity and antiproliferative activities. This is the first report of
antiproliferative activity of C. jagus bulb extract. Hence, this study justifies the traditional use
of the bulb in the treatment of cancer.
