In vitro antiproliferative activity of selected medicinal plants from the North-West of Morocco on several cancer cell lines

Introduction: Ethnomedicinal and ecological approaches have been important in drug discovery, especially for medicinal plants. The North-West of Morocco (Ouezzane) has a Mediterranean climate and is characterized by a good ecological diversity. Traditionally, several medicinal plants that have been used to treat various diseases can be found in this region. The pharmacological valorization of these species could provide opportunities for different diseases including cancer. The aim of this study was to screen for anticancer and antioxidative properties of selected medicinal plants from this area of North-West of Morocco. Methods: Organic extracts of five selected medicinal plants (Origanum compactum Benth., Cistus crispus L., Centaurium erythraea Rafin., Myrtus communis L. and Arbutus unedo L.) were tested for their anticancer and antioxidant properties. The anticancer activity was tested on three cancerous cell lines L20B, RD and Vero using MTT assay and the pharmacological selectivity index (PSI) was calculated using PBMC as the normal cell line. The antioxidant activity was evaluated using FRAP and ABTS assays. Results: All plant extracts showed important anticancer activities with some variability. The n-hexane extract of C. crispus exhibited remarkable cytotoxic and specific effects on RD (IC50 = 04.75 mu g/mL; PSI = 36.48) and L20 B cell lines (IC50 = 07.16 mu g/mL; PSI = 24.20). Moreover, O. compactum n-hexane extract showed a selective antiproliferative activity on Vero cell line (IC50 = 13.72 mu g/mL; PSI = 11.46). Regarding the antioxidant activity, M. communis methanol extract showed an important antioxidant capacity measured by ABTS and ferric-reducing power assays with IC50 values of 16.59 +/- 0.12 mu g/mL and 57.83 +/- 0.76 mu g/mL, respectively. Conclusions: The findings did not reveal any correlation between antioxidant and anticancer effects thus showing specific targeted action against cancer cell lines. Based on the obtained results, these species could be considered as potential sources of anticancer and antioxidant compounds. However, further studies are necessary for the chemical characterization of the bioactive compounds and more investigation on their pharmacological properties is needed.