ANTI-PROLIFERATIVE ACTIVITIES OF THE AQUEOUS ROOT EXTRACT OF DIANTHUS THUNBERGII SS HOOPER (CARYOPHYLLACEAE)

Abstract

Background: The roots of Dianthus thunbergii SS Hooper are used traditionally in South Africa for the treatment of diabetes, wounds, colic, chest complaints and cancer. This study was aimed at investigating the potential anti-proliferative activities of the D. thunbergii in mammalian cancer cell lines. Materials and Methods: Aqueous and ethanol extracts of D. thunbergii were tested in vitro on two cancer cell lines: human hepato-cellular carcinoma (HepG2) cells and murine insulinoma (INS-1) cells using the 3-(4,5-Dimethylthiazol-2- yl) 2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) and crystal violet cell viability assays, as well as live-cell fluorescence imaging microscopy. A tentative profiling of the aqueous extract was also carried out using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). Results: The aqueous extract (50-200μg/ml) exhibited significant (p