IN VITRO ANTICANCER ACTIVITY OF BIDENS BITERNATA (LOUR.) MERR. & SHERIFF – AN ETHNO MEDICINAL PLANT OF KERALA

Abstract

Bidens biternata (Lour.) Merr. & Sheriff, belongs to the family Asteraceae, is an erect annual herb, up to 1 m
height, a wide spread weed of cultivated areas. This plant is common, particularly in Western Ghats regions of Kerala
state. It is used as a leafy vegetable by Paniya, Chetti, Kani and Kattunaayika tribes of Waynadu Districts in Kerala and
also to cure hepatitis, cold, cough, dysentery, asthma etc. Phytochemical constituents are responsible for medicinal
activity of ethno medicinal plant B. biternata. In the present study, crude methanol extract and isolated bioactive
compound of B. biternata leaves was analyzed for its in vitro anticancer activity. The anticancer activity was evaluated by
using different cell lines like L929, H9C2 and A375. In the MTT assay of crude methanol extract, the percentage of
viability of the normal cell line L929 were found to be 64.2%, 53.2% and 49.1% when crude sample was applied in a
concentration of 100 µg ml-1
, 500 µg ml-1
and 1000 µg ml-1
respectively. In quercetin the percentage of cell viability of
L929 were found to be 51.04%, 47.28% and 36.27%. The percentage of cell viability of H9C2 cell line were found to be
90.86%, 64.39% and 40.26% and for isolated compound quercetin, 86.17%, 58.42% and 28.15% for sample
concentration 100 µg ml-1
, 500 µg ml-1
and 1000 µg ml-1
respectively. In the MTT assay of crude methanol extract, the
percentage of viability of the A375 cell line were found to be 94.17%, 70.14% and 44.58% and isolated compound
quercetin, 92.14%, 68.34% and 38.26%. The results revealed that the isolated compound quercetin (3, 3’, 4’, 5, 7-
pentahydroxy flavones) of B. biternata possessed high anticancer activity so could be used as an effective therapeutic
agent against cancer disorders