Cytotoxic activity of Macrosolen parasiticus (L.) Danser on the growth of breast cancer cell line (MCF‑7)

Background: Macrosolen parasiticus (L.) Danser belonging to Loranthaceaea (mistletoe family) is a parasitic plant that grows on different host plants such as mango, jack fruit, peepal, neem tree, etc., This study was aimed to investigate the anti‑cancer activity of methanolic and aqueous extract of stem of M. parasiticus. Objectives: To investigate the in vitro cytotoxic potential of the methanolic and aqueous extracts from stems of M. parasiticus against MCF‑7 breast cancer cells by brine shrimp lethality (BSL) bioassay, MTT assay and sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay. Materials and Methods: The extracts were tested in human breast cancer cell lines in vitro for percentage cytotoxicity, apoptosis by acridine orange/ethidium bromide staining, LD50 and IC50 values after treatment with M. parasiticus extracts. Results: In BSL bioassay, aqueous extract showed more significant (P < 0.01) cytotoxicity with LD50 82.79 ± 2.67 μg/mL as compared to methanolic extract with LD50 125 ± 3.04 µg/mL. The methanolic extract of M. parasiticus showed IC50 97.33 ± 3.75 µg/mL (MTT) (P < 0.05) and 94.58 ± 3.84 µg/mL (SRB) (P < 0.01) assays against MCF‑7. The aqueous extract of M. parasiticus demonstrated higher activity with IC50 59.33 ± 3.3 µg/mL (MTT) (P < 0.01) and 51.9 ± 1.87 µg/mL (SRB) (P < 0.01) assays, after 48 h of exposure and thus showed significant dose‑dependent cytotoxic activity. Conclusion: The finding demonstrated that both extracts of M. parasiticus showed significant cytotoxic activity, however aqueous extract demonstrated higher activity against MCF‑7 breast cancer cells.