Abstract

ANTI-PROLIFERATIVE EFFICACY OF PIPER BETLE LEAF EXTRACTS AGAINST B16F10 MELANOMA IN AN IN-VIVO EXPERIMENTAL MODEL

Gowhar A. Shah*, Tajamul Islam Shah and Sanjay Telang

ABSTRACT

Medicinal plants occupy an important position for being the paramount sources of drug discovery against cancer. A huge reservoir of bioactive compounds exists in many species of plants of earth. The isolation, identification of these active photochemical compounds and their pharmacological studies may be considered and studied elaborately to treat effectively for various types of cancer. Piper betle L. is a well known medicinal plant used in ayurvedic medicines as hepatoprotective, analgesic, antispasmodic, antidiabetic, antiviral and antibacterial agent. The present study was carried out to evaluate the anti melanoma activity of Piper betle L. leaves using different extracts viz: Pet. Ether, ethyl acetate, aqueous and ethanol in an in vivo model. The different dose concentrations were given per oral as 250mg/kg and 500mg/kg body weight of all the extracts. A significant reduction in size of tumor was observed in a dose dependent manner. The deviation observed in tumor reduction was recorded as 1338±1.555 mm3 at 250mg/kgbw and1307±1.697 mm3 at 500mg/kgbw, 1112±1.343 mm3 at 250 mg/kgbw and 874±1.626 mm3 at 500 mg/kgbw, 964±1.414 mm3 at 250 mg/kgbw and 627±1.838 mm3 at 500 mg/kgbw, 1108±1.131 mm3 at 250 mg/kgbw and 819±0.919 mm3 at 500 mg/kgbw for pet ether, aqueous, ethyl acetate and ethanol respectively. Among all the four extracts ethyl acetate 500mg/kgbw with tumor reduction from 1390±1.838 mm3 to 627±1.838 mm3 showed significant activity. After in vivo screening of crude extracts it was concluded that ethyl acetate extract contains some antitumor agents when applied against mice bearing melanoma and depicted significant reduction in tumor size.

Keywords: Piper betle L., Melanoma, Anti-cancer properties, Experimental model.