EVALUATION OF IN VITRO CYTOTOXIC ACTIVITY OF PETROLEUM ETHER AND METHANOL EXTRACT OF MENTHA ARVENSIS (WHOLE PLANT) ON HUMAN CANCER CELL LINES

Objective: Mentha arvensis (MA) commonaly known as Mint or Pudina, belongs to the Lamiaceae family. It is an aromatic herb traditionally used as an antiseptic, antihelmintic, diuretic, digestive, expectorant and cardio tonic. The objective of the present investigation was to examine in vitro cytotoxic activity of crude whole plant extracts of MA. Methods: Crude extracts were prepared from whole dried plant of MA by Soxhlet apparatus, using solvents petroleum ether (60°- 80°) and methanol successively. In vitro cytotoxic activity of crude extracts was evaluated by Sulforhodamine B assay on three human cancer cell-lines of different tissues i.e. A-549 (lung), MCF-7 (breast) and COLO-205 (colon). Hemolytic activity of crude extracts of MA on human RBCs was also checked. Results: Methanol extract of MA was observed to be significantly more cytotoxic in dose dependent manner than Petroleum ether extract of MA with IC50 ranging from 120-165µg/ml for selected cell lines. Methanol and petroleum ether extracts of MA were found to have no hemolytic effect on RBCs suggesting membrane destabilization is not the mechanism of action for their cytotoxic activity. Conclusion: This study suggests potential anti-tumor activity of Mentha arvensis and a need for further studies to identify the active component/s and to understand their mechanism/s of action