Evaluation of the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of octomeles sumatrana (datistaccae) on human cell lines / Wan Nabihah Wan Razdi

Octomeles Sumatrana (OS), common name, 'Binuang', is one of the traditional medicines used by the Kadazandusun communities in Sabah. Traditionally, it is used as a tonic or to treat stomach ache, bone pain and muscle sprain. The aim of this study was to assess the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of OS in normal cultured human cell lines as well cancer cell lines. In the cytotoxicity study, the normal cell line used was WRL 68 normal liver cell while the cancer cells were K562 leukemic cell, HepG2 liver cancer cell, MCF- 7 breast cancer cell and HCT-115 colon cancer to represent the different human target organs. Basically, all the cells were cultured in their specified media and after 24 hours incubation, all the cultured cells were treated with different concentrations of OS aqueous extract (0.1 µg/ml to 10000 µg/ml). Following a 24 hour incubation, the viability of the cultured cells was assayed by the MTS assay. The results obtained from the cytotoxicity study showed that OS did not exert the toxic effects against all cell lines. The genotoxicity study was carried out with the concentrations of OS that affected cell viability by 20% only (0.1 µg/ml to 100 µg/ml). The cells used in this study were WRL68 and HepG2. Effect of OS aqueous extract on the DNA in these cells was determined using the comet assay. The results showed that OS was not genotoxic to the cells. In conclusion, OS bark extract was not cytotoxic or genotoxic to human normal and cancerous cell lines. However, further studies are needed to validate these effects in order to ensure the safe use of OS as a traditional medicine.