THE ETHANOL EXTRACT OF THE LEAVES OF HELICIOPSIS LOBATA INHIBITS CELL PROLIFERATION AND ENHANCES APOPTOSIS IN THE TWO GASTROINTESTINAL CANCER CELL LINES AGS AND MKN45

Abstract

Heliciopsis lobata (Merr.) Sleum, also called Ghost hand tree, has been recognized as a widely used medicinal plant in traditional medicine. In this study, we used ethanol as a solvent to extract components contained in the leaves of Heliciopsis lobata. The extract was then used to assess its effect on the cell proliferation of AGS and MKN45 gastric cancer cells by MTT assay. Nuclear morphological changes were detected by DAPI staining. The results showed that ethanol extract from Heliciopsis lobata leaves significantly reduced the cell proliferation in both AGS and MKN45 cell lines. The IC50 value of the extract for AGS and MKN45 cells corresponded to 0,467 mg/ml and 0,168 mg/ml. The ethanol extract of Heliciopsis lobata leaves also increased the proportion of apoptosis-type cells from 8 - 20% for AGS lines and 7 - 28% for MKN45 cell lines. The results of this study showed that the ethnanol extract from the Heliciopsis lobata leaves has the potential to inhibit the growth of stomach cancer cells.