Ethanolic extract of Allium sativum has antiproliferative effect on Hep2 and L929 cell lines

Cancer of the larynx represents worldwide approximately 1-2% of all cancers and generally occurs predominantly in males. Experimentally, Allium sativum and its associated sulfur components are reported to suppress tumor incidence in breast, colon, skin, uterine, esophagus and lung. In this study, we investigated in vitro effect of ethanolic extract of A. sativum on human larynx tumor cell (Hep2) and non-tumor cell (L929) lines. The cells were cultivated and incubated with different concentrations (0 (control), 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 8 and 12 mg/ml) of the whole extract. After 24h, morphological changes in both cells showed growth inhibitory effects at concentrations of 4, 8 and 12 mg/ml of the extract. These changes became more prominent on the second and third day. MTT assay results indicated a significant difference between Hep2 and L929 cells incubated in all concentrations and the cells incubated in the absence of the extract in reduction of percentage of surviving cells. The results of this study demonstrate that this type of A. sativum extract exert anti-proliferative effect on both Hep2 and L929 cell lines.