In Vitro Cytotoxic Activity of Benjakul Herbal Preparation and Its Active Compounds against Human Lung, Cervical and Liver Cancer Cells
Srisopa Ruangnoo MSc*, Arunporn Itharat PhD*, Intouch Sakpakdeejaroen MSc*, Ruchilak Rattarom MSc**, Pimonwan Tappayutpijarn MSc*, Kumman Kumarn Pawa MD***
Affiliation : * Department of Applied Thai Traditional Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Pathumthani, Thailand ** Graduate School, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Pathumthani, Thailand *** Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Thammasat University, Pathumthani, Thailand
Background : Benjakul [BEN], a Thai Traditional medicine preparation, is composed of five plants: Piper chaba fruit [PC],
Piper sarmentosum root [PS], Piper interruptum stem [PI], Plumbago indica root [PL] and Zingiber officinale rhizome
[ZO]. From selective interviews of folk doctors in Southern Thailand, it was found that Benjakul has been used for cancer
patients.
Objective : To investigate cytotoxicity activity of Benjakul preparation [BEN] and its ingredients against three human cancer
cell lines, large lung carcinoma cell line (COR-L23), cervical cancer cell line (Hela) liver cancer cell line (HepG2) as
compared with normal lung fibroblast cell (MRC-5) by using SRB assay.
Material and Method: The extraction as imitated the method used by folk doctors was done by maceration in ethanol and
boiling in water. Bioassay guided isolation was used isolated cytotoxic compound.
Results : The ethanolic extracts of PL, ZO, PC, PS, BEN and PS showed specific activity against lung cancer cell (IC50= 3.4,
7.9, 15.8 , 18.4, 19.8 and 32.91 μg/ml) but all the water extracts had no cytotoxic activity. Three active ingredients [6-gingerol,
plumbagin and piperine as 0.54, 4.18 and 7.48% w/w yield of crude extract respectively] were isolated from the ethanolic
extract of BEN and they also showed cytotoxic activity with plumbagin showing the highest cytotoxic activity against COR-L23,
HepG2, Hela and MRC-5 (IC50 = 2.55, 2.61, 4.16 and 11.54 μM respectively).
Conclusion : These data results may support the Thai traditional doctors who are using Benjakul to treat cancer patients and
three of its constituents (6-gingerol, plumbagin and piperine) are suggested to be used as biomarkers for standardization of
this preparation.
Keywords : Cytotoxicity test, SRB assay, Thai medicinal plants, Benjakul preparation, Lung cancer, Liver cancer, Cervical cancer
