In Vitro Anti Proliferative Effects of Ocimum Basilicum

Nowadays, worldwide neoplastic pathology is a major public health problem. Despite the many therapeutic strategies currently available in chemotherapy and radiotherapy, the number of new cancer cases and cancer deaths is increasing. An inexpensive alternative without adverse effects is the development of therapeutic strategies using herbal compounds obtained from various natural sources. On the other hand, the development of therapeutic alternatives involves testing their cytotoxic effects on healthy human cells. In this study, we tested Ocimum basilicum extracts (in butanol and acetonitrile), in concentrations between 5mg/ml and 40mg/ml, in order to evaluate the cytotoxic potential on colon (Caco2), liver (HepG2) and blood cancer (K-562). We analysed the biocompatibility of the products in vitro on healthy cell lines (MSC-mesenchymal STEM cells and HDFA- human fibroblasts). Cell proliferation was analyzed by the MTT assay. The obtained results revealed that the tested extracts do not significantly modify the multiplication of healthy human cells. Instead, it causes a decrease in the cell growth rate for liver and colon neoplastic cells, and less so for leukemic cells.