THE STUDY OF CYTOTOXIC ACTIVITY OF SOME ALKALOID-BEARING PLANTS GROWING IN GEORGIA
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The aim of the study was to examine the aboveground parts of plants growing in Georgia: Delphinium elisabethae N. Busch., Solanum nigrum L., Sophora japonica L., Vinca herbacea Waldst. et Kit., for their alkaloid content and to evaluate their biological activity. Purified total alkaloid fractions were obtained using liquid-liquid extraction from the aforementioned plants, in the composition of which, as Phytochemical analysis revealed the major alkaloid constituents correspond to diterpene (D. elisabethae), steroidal (S. nigrum), quinolizidine (S. japonica), and indole-type bases (V. herbacea). Cytotoxic activity in vitro was assessed using three cell cultures: A-549 (human lung carcinoma cell culture, ATCC#CCL-185); DLD-1 (cell culture of the rectum adenocarcinoma, ATCC#CCL-221); WS-1 (human dermal fibroblasts) with the Resazurin and Hoechst tests.
It was found that the total alkaloid fraction from V. herbacea demonstrated strong cytotoxic activity against A-549 and DLD-1 cells, with no toxicity toward WS-1. The S. nigrum fraction displayed moderate cytotoxicity against all tested cell cultures. The total alkaloid fractions from D. elisabethae and S. japonica showed only weak cytotoxic activity against all cell lines.
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