Cytotoxicity study of ethanol extract of the stem bark of asam kandis (Garcinia cowa Roxb.) on T47D breast cancer cell line

Objective: To investigate the cytotoxic effect of ethanol extract of the stem bark of asam kandis [Garcinia cowa Roxb. (G. cowa)] on T47D breast cancer cell line. Methods: The cytotoxicity of ethanol extract was carried out against human breast cancer cell line (T47D) by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide colorimetric assay. The extract was added at various concentrations (0.1, 1, 10 and 100 μg/mL). The level of cytotoxicity was determined by calculating the level of IC50 that was based on the percentage of the cell death after 24 h treatment with the extract. Cell morphological changes were observed by using inverted microscope. Results: The 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay showed that ethanol extract of G. cowa exhibited significant cytotoxic effect on T47D with IC50 value of (5.10±1.68) μg/mL. Morphological alteration of the cell lines after exposure to ethanol extract of G. cowa was observed under phase contrast microscope in a dose-dependent manner. Conclusions: The results suggest the possible use of ethanol extract of asam kandis for preparing herbal medicine for cancer-related ailments