Ethanol Extract but not Aqueous Extract of Tuber of Sauromatum Giganteum(Engl.) Cusimano and Hett Inhibits the Cancer Cell Proliferation

Sauromatum giganteum (Engl.) Cusimano and Hett, a synonym is Typhonium giganteum Engl., the dried root tuber of which is named Baifuzi in Chinese and recorded in Chinese pharmacopoeia as a traditional Chinese medicine (Gao et al., 2007; Chi et al., 2010). It has the effect of “dispelling wind-phelgm” and has been used for the folklore treatment of cancer for a long time in Northeast of China. About the experimental research of Sauromatum giganteum (Engl.) Cusimano and Hett on the anti-tumor activity only Li Q et al reported that SFE-CO2 extract from Typhonium giganteum Engl. tubers induces apoptosis in human hepatoma SMMC-7721 cells (Li et al., 2011a). Both decoction and vinum of tuber of Sauromatum giganteum (Engl.) Cusimano and Hett was used for the folklore treatment of cancer in China. But no any research showed which dosage form is the better for the cancer therapy. The cytotoxicity of decoction and vinum of tuber of Sauromatum giganteum (Engl.) Cusimano and Hett on different tumor cell lines has not been revealed. So in this paper serum pharmacology method and MTT assay were