Anti-cancer molecular mechanisms of Cotyledon orbiculata and Salvia africana-lutea in cancer cell lines

Background: Cancer remains one of the world’s leading healthcare challenges, with 1 in 9 people developing cancer in their lifetime. This rise in cancer incidences and mortality rates has increased the need for exploring new therapeutic agents. Aim: The medicinal plants Cotyledon orbiculata and Salvia africana-lutea were evaluated for their anticancer properties in cervical, breast, prostate and fibroblast cell lines. Methods: Methanol, hexane and butanol were used as the different extraction solvents. Different cancer cell lines were each treated with varying plant extract concentrations to identify the half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀). The IC₅₀ was then used in subsequent assays. Results and conclusion: Caspase 3/7 assay revealed that while in some instances caspase activity increased slightly, it was not convincing enough to suggest that these plant extracts induced apoptosis in a caspase 3/7 dependent manner. Following treatment with the plant extracts, the expression of cell cycle and apoptosis related genes was investigated. Once again, comparing results between untreated and those treated with the various extracts did not yield significant differences to conclusively as whether gene expression was markedly improved following treatment. This is not to say that subtle differences were not noted. In conclusion, Cotyledon orbiculata, and Salvia africana-lutea extracts have shown little evidence to suggest potent anticancer properties.