Cytotoxic activity of Alpinia murdochii Ridl.: A mountain ginger species from Peninsular Malaysia

BACKGROUND Alpinia murdochii (Zingiberaceae) is a wild ginger species restricted to mountain areas of Peninsular Malaysia. Due to rapid development and deforestation activities, this species is becoming rare. This is the first report of the cytotoxic activity of A. murdochii. OBJECTIVE The present study aimed to investigate the cytotoxic effect of leaves and rhizomes of A. murdochii against selected human cancer cell lines by using in vitro cytotoxicity assay. MATERIALS AND METHODS The leaves and rhizomes of A. murdochii were extracted in hexane, dichloromethane (CH2Cl2), and methanol (MeOH) prior to cytotoxic activity assessment against selected human cancer cell lines, namely MCF7 (hormone dependent breast carcinoma cell line), HT29 (colon carcinoma cell line), and SKOV-3 (ovarian cancer cell line) by using in vitro neutral red cytotoxicity assay. RESULTS The hexane and CH2Cl2 extracts of both leaves and rhizomes exhibited remarkable cytotoxic effect against SKOV-3 cells with the IC50 values in the range of 5.2-16.7 μg/ml. CONCLUSION Based on the preliminary data obtained in the present study, the leaves and rhizomes of A. murdochii may be viable therapeutic or preventive candidates for the treatment of ovarian cancer.