Cytotoxicity, Apoptosis Induction and Anti-Metastatic Potential of Oroxylum indicum in Human Breast Cancer Cells

Despite clinical advances in anticancer therapy, there is still a need for novel anticancer metabolites, withhigher efficacy and lesser side effects. Oroxylum indicum (L.) Vent. is a small tree of the Bignoniaceae familywhich is well known for its food and medicinal properties. In present study, the chemopreventive propertiesof O. indicum hot and cold non-polar extracts (petroleum ether and chloroform) were investigated with MDAMB-231 (cancer cells) and WRL-68 (non-tumor cells) by XTT assay. All the extracts, and particularly thepetroleum ether hot extract (PHO), exhibited significantly (P<0.05) higher cytotoxicity in MDA-MB-231 whencompared to WRL-68 cells. PHO was then tested for apoptosis induction in estrogen receptor (ER)-negative(MDA-MB-231) and ER-positive (MCF-7) breast cancer cells by cellular DNA fragmentation ELISA, where itproved more efficient in the MDA-MB-231 cells. Further, when PHO was tested for anti-metastatic potential ina cell migration inhibition assay, it exhibited beneficial effects. Thus non-polar extracts of O. indicum (especiallyPHO) can effectively target ER-negative breast cancer cells to induce apoptosis, without harming normal cellsby cancer-specific cytotoxicity. Hence, it could be considered as an extract with candidate precursors to possiblyharness or alleviate ER-negative breast cancer progression even in advanced stages of malignancy.