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The in vitro anti-cancer activities of Ocimum sanctum leaf extracts (holy basil)

06/29/2020 // Evangelyn Rodriguez // Views

Tags: alternative medicine, anticancer, cancer cures, cancer solutions, cancer treatments, food cures, food is medicine, functional food, goodcancer, goodfood, goodhealth, goodmedicine, goodscience, herbal medicine, Herbs, holy basil, natural cures, natural medicine, remedies, research, superfoods

In this study, a researcher at Government Degree College, Khairatabad in India investigated the anti-cancer activity of plant suspension cultures of Ocimum sanctum (holy basil) against lung cancer. Key findings were published in the International Journal of Green Pharmacy.

• Ethanol, acetone and aqueous leaf extracts of O. sanctum were used to treat human lung cancer (A549) cells. Their in vitro anti-cancer activity was evaluated using MTT assay and trypan blue dye exclusion assay.
• The former is based on the capacity of mitochondrial enzymes of viable cells to reduce MTT, a yellow soluble salt, to purple-blue insoluble formazan precipitate. This is quantified using a spectrophotometer at 570 nm.
• The latter, meanwhile, is based on cell staining and is used to quantify the number of viable cells present in a cell suspension.
• Cells are then counted using a hemocytometer under a microscope, where non-viable cells will be stained blue and viable cells will remain unstained.
• The researchers reported that the aqueous leaf extract of O. sanctum did not show anti-cancer activity, but its acetone and ethanol leaf extracts did.
• The acetone leaf extracts displayed the highest anti-cancer activity against human cancer cells at a concentration of 40 to 50 mcg/mL.

Based on these findings, the researchers concluded that O. sanctum acetone and ethanol leaf extracts have anti-cancer properties and can be used against lung cancer.

Journal Reference:

Yadavalli V. EVALUATION OF ANTICANCER COMPOUNDS FROM SUSPENSION CULTURES OF HOLY BASIL (OCIMUM SANCTUM L.). International Journal of Green Pharmacy. 2019;13(2):98. DOI: 10.22377/ijgp.v13i2.2487

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