Research Journal of Pharmacy and Technology

Screening of various medicinal plants for biological active compounds has become a vital source of cancer related drugs. The present study was designed to evaluate and compare the cytotoxicity of Annona muricata fruits and leaves.

The leaves and fruits are dried and standardised by performing ash value, extractive value and phytochemical screening, the dried fruits and leaves of Annona muricata were defatted with petroleum ether and extracted using methanol as solvent. The extracts were evaluated for in-vitro cytotoxic study by MTT assay using Hep G2 cell lines and trypan blue dye exclusion method using DLA and EAC cells. Haemolytic activity was performed to determine the toxicity of extracts to normal cells.

The qualitative analysis of phytochemical extracts and parts possesses carbohydrates, cardiac glycosides, alkaloids, flavones and tannins. In MTT assay, while comparing the cytotoxic action of methanolic extracts of Annona muricata leaves and fruits of (MEAML and MEAMF) with standard curcumin (18.6μg/ml), MEAMF (IC₅₀=12.4 μg/ml) showed more cytotoxic action to Hep G2 cell lines than MEAML (IC₅₀=82.5μg/ml). In dye exclusion test, MEAML showed an IC₅₀ value of about 140.3μg/ml, 137.2μg/ml for DLA and EAC respectively, whereas 179.4μg/ml, 165.2μg/ml in MEAMF. None of the extract possessed any haemolytic activity revealing their non-toxicity on normal cells.

Methanolic extracts of Annona muricata fruits and leaves possess cytotoxic activity with no significant haemolytic activity towards normal erythrocytes.