Efficacy Assessment for Several Natural Products with Potential Cytotoxic Activity Against Breast and Cervix Cancers

Over more than five decades, cancer remains a national and international health problem regardless of the discovery of several dozens of novel anticancer drugs (natural and synthetic). Accordingly, screening of natural products for promising anti cancer activity is very initiative field of studies in several countries with diversity of gardenia. Breast and cervix cancers are of the most common gynecological female solid tumors that represent major health problem. Herein, we have assessed the cytotoxic characteristics of several molecules of natural origin (cerulinin, chrysin, honikiol, limonin, mevinolin, resveratrol, salicin, retinol, ascorbic acid and calciferol) against two different gynecological breast (MCF-7) and Cervix (HeLa) solid tumor cell lines. After exposure to serial concentrations of the test compounds, SRB-u assay was undertaken and viability assessment was performed via fitting to Emax model to identify the cytotoxicity parameters such as, IC50 and resistant fraction (R-value). Tested compounds showed cytotoxic efficacy against both gynecological solid tumor cell lines (MCF-7 and HeLa) with IC50's ranged from 0.61 to 131.1 μg/ml. In MCF-7 breast cancer cell line; cerulinin, honikiol, mevinolin and calciferol showed the highest potency with IC50 less than 5 μg/ml. Chrysin showed moderate potency with IC50 of 7.27 μg/ml. Ascorbic acid and resveratrol showed the weakest cytotoxic activity with IC50 more than 10 μg/ml. In HeLa cervix cancer cell line; cerulinin and mevinolin showed the highest potency with IC50 less than 5 μg/ml. Chrysin, honikiol, resveratrol and calciferol showed moderate potency with IC50 of ranging from 5-10 μg/ml. Ascorbic acid was the weakest cytotoxic molecule with IC50 more than 10 μg/ml. Limonine, salicin and retinol failed to exert any cytotoxic effect against MCF-7 or HeLa cancer cell lines in-vitro. RT-PCR analysis revealed that the cytotoxicity of these products is multi-factorial and not solely dependent on p53 expression. Impressively, molecules of potent and moderate potency (except chrysin) showed low resistant fraction in both gynecological solid tumor cancer cell lines. In conclusion, our data showed wide range of variable efficacy of several molecules of natural origin against two hormone dependent solid tumor cell lines.