The effect of selected plant extracts on the mitochondria of leukemic cancer cells in vitro

Individual plant extracts from horse chestnut, arnica and hops have been applied in vitro on Jurkat type leukemic cells from which mitochondria were isolated. Each sample of the isolated experimental mitochondria were monitored by the determination of proteins and by monitoring the fluorescence of endogenous fluorophores of experimental mitochondria compared with control mitochondria isolated from intact leukemic cells by means of the synchronous fluorescence fingerprint method. The horizontal cut of excitation-emission matrices at (λ = 240 nm) demonstrated the final graphical and mathematical fluorescence of mitochondria. The result is the presence of two fluorescent excitation-emission zones (the result of the overlapping effect of very similar fluorescence maxima values), which were subsequently compared with standard fluorophores. A reduction of protein content in all experimental mitochondria was observed, the most after the effect of arnica and the least after the influence of horse chestnut. The decrease of fluorescence of the first fluorescent zone was compared to control mitochondria. The decline of mitochondrial fluorescence confirmed the cytotoxic effect of the substances studied on the mitochondria in vitro.