Cytotoxic Activity of Endemic Astragalus argaeus Boiss. from Turkey

Astragalus L. is the largest genus in the family Leguminosae with over 3000 species and is represented in Turkey by 445 species, of which 224 are endemic. Several Astragalus species have many biological properties such as hepatoprotective, immunostimulant, antiviral, anti-aging, antitumor, antioxidant, antimicrobial, antimalarial, antileshmanial, antiperspirant, anti-inflammatory, diuretic and tonic. The aim of this research was the investigation of the cytotoxic activities of extracts obtained from underground and aerial parts of Astragalus argaeus Boiss. on a human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). The cytotoxic effects of extracts on MCF-7 (human breast cancer cell lines) and fibroblast cells during 24 and 48 h were determined by 3-(4,5-dimethyl thiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphynyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The extracts showed weak cytotoxic activity on MCF-7 during 24 h. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first report on cytotoxic activity of A. argaeus.