A Thai Herbal Recipe Induces Apoptosis in T47D Human Breast Cancer Cell Line

One of the most common Thai herbal recipe used by cancer patients was investigated for antiproliferative activity on human breast and lung cancer cell lines: T47D and A549, respectively. This herbal recipe was composed of five medicinal plants, i.e., Gelonium multiflorum , Rhinacanthus nasutus, Acanthus ebracteatus, Smilax corbularia, and Smilax glabra, in the equal proportion. The herbal recipe was boiled in 3 liters of distilled water until water was approximately 1 liter left. Then, the evaporating and drying processes were performed by using desicccators to yield the herbal extract. The ED 50 values of T47D and A549 were evaluated using MTT method at 48 hours. The antiproliferative effect on T47D was demonstrated with ED 50 value at 6,066 μg/ml, whereas no ED 50 value was found with A549. The apoptotic study was done and found that at dosage of 3,000 μg/ml, the apoptosis of T47D was about 50%. Therefore, this Thai herbal recipe showed the promising antiproliferative activity on human breast cancer cell line, T47D, with the mechanism of inducing apoptosis in this cell line. Keyword: T47D, Gelonium multiflorum , Rhinacanthus nasutus, Acanthus ebracteatus, Smilax corbularia, Smilax glabra