Anti-cancer and Anti-Oxidative Activities of Nigerian Traditional Medicinal Plants/Recipes

Background: The claim of using medicinal plants in treating cancer without scientific proof is on the rise in north east region of Nigeria, perhaps it’s due to the perceived increase in the burden of Cancer in the region. Hence, the anti-cancer and anti-oxidant activities of the extracts from Nigerian anti-cancer recipes and plants were investigated. Methods: The four (4) recipes and the sixteen (16) single plant samples were extracted by two (2) hot and two (2) cold extraction techniques using distilled water and 95% ethanol as solvents. All extracts were investigated for anti-oxidative activities and invitro anti-cancer activity on DU145 prostate and MCF-7 breast cancer cell lines by 3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Apoptosis studies by flow cytometry using Annexin V/PI staining, and gelatin zymography for matrix metalloproteinase (MMP-2/9) activities inhibition were conducted of the most potent selected extracts initially tested for the anticancer activity. Results: Depending on the solvent of extraction and the extraction type, extracts exhibited varying degree of antioxidant activity. Similarly, for the anti-cancer activity, the extracts from Calotropis procera exhibited the most potent anti-proliferative activity on both DU145, and MCF-7 cancer cell lines with IC50 values ranging between 4.18±0.22 to 10.32±1.16 µg/ml. The extracts of C. procera-EtSE with percentage apoptosis induction of (42.27±2.11%) and of the recipe NCR003-EtCM with (40.87±0.94%) show the highest apoptotic activities on breast cancer cell line (MCF-7) and prostate cancer cell line (DU145) respectively, whereas the highest MMP-2/9 inhibition activities were found in the ethanolic extracts of C. procera on both cancer cell lines. Conclusion: This study suggested that the extracts from the plant, C. procera to be precise can be a promising candidate for further development as an anti-cancer drug.