Antioxidant, cytotoxic and antineoplastic effects of Carissa carandas Linn. leaves

Abstract For scientific clarification of some traditional uses, this study was designed to explore the antioxidant, cytotoxic and antineoplastic properties of leaf extract of Carissa carandas Linn., a traditional medicinal plant of Bangladesh. The methanol extract of Carissa carandas leaves (MELC) was applied on DPPH and ABTS experiments to determine its antioxidant activity. In vitro the cytotoxic effect of MELC was evaluated against colonic adenocarcinoma cell lines (SW-480 and SW-48) whereas in vivo its antineoplastic property was tested against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma (EAC). The DPPH and ABTS assays revealed the antioxidant activity of MELC with IC 50 10.5 ± 1.2 and 1.75 ± 0.3 μg/ml that was comparable to L-ascorbic acid. In vitro cytotoxic study, MELC reduced the viability of adenocarcinoma cells in dose dependent manner and in vivo , administration of MELC (25 mg/kg) resulted in a significant (p  Carissa carandas in traditional medicine as well as highlights the need to further explore the potentials of MELC as an antineoplastic agent.