Growth Inhibition of Standardized Amine Fraction From Clinacanthus nutans on Mice Xenograft Model for Human Cervical Cancer.

Introduction: Cervical cancer continue to be a leading cause of cancer-related death for women. The current anticancer drugs remain inefficient due to the lack of specificity to inhibit the cancer cells growth. Plant-based drugs with potent anticancer should add to the efforts in finding drugs with lesser side effects but great potential to increase survival. Hence, this study sought to determine the tumour growth inhibition of standardized fraction (SF1) from Clinacanthus nutans as a potential alternative treatment for cervical cancer. Methods: SF1 was isolated from a series of bioassay-guided fractionation of C.nutans leaves. Female nude mice were xenografted with human cervical cancer cell line, SiHa, subcutaneously. When the tumour volume reached 100mm3, SF1 was intraperitoneally injected once daily for 28 days. Body weight and tumour volume were recorded every 3 days. Tumour and liver were fixed for hematoxylin and eosin staining and immunohistochemistry using caspase-3 antibody. Blood was collected by cardiac puncture for assessment of liver enzymes level, AST and ALT. Results: SF1 has a great tumour inhibition with more than 50% inhibition rate compared to the negative control group (DMSO). ALT and AST levels in SF1-treated mice were maintained in normal ranges compared to the positive control group, cisplatin indicating no sign of toxicities. SF1-treated group revealed no indication of liver toxicity. The number of tumour mitosis was reduced and caspase-3, a critical mediator of apoptosis was overexpressed in SF1-treated group. Conclusion: SF1 demonstrated potent anticancer activity by inhibiting the tumour growth with less toxic effects, suggesting a promising candidate for preventing cancer progression. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]