Cytotoxic Activity of Achillea coarctata Poir. Extract ^†

Abstract

Achillea L. (Asteraceae) is a traditional medicinal herb which contains different phenol and flavonoid compounds that are responsible for Achillea pharmacological effects. Turkey is one of the most important centers of diversity for the genus Achillea in the world. The aim of this research was the investigation of the cytotoxic activity of A. coarctata Poir. extract on a human breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). The cytotoxic activity of the extract on the MCF-7 cell line and mouse embryo fibroblast cells (NIH/3T3) were evaluated by 3-(4,5-dimethyl thiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphynyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The extract has cytotoxic activity on MCF-7 cell line with IC₅₀ values 37.39 and 33.98 µg/mL after 24 and 48 h treatments, respectively. The results showed that the extract inhibited significantly MCF-7 cell. Further investigation is required to assess the cytotoxic potential of the extract in cancer therapy, and to isolation and purification of bioactive compounds.