Cytotoxic Effect of Caralluma fimbriata Against Human Colon Cancer Cells

Aim: The present study was designed to examine the cytotoxic effects of ethanolic leaf extract of Caralluma fimbriata in the COLO 320 cell line. Materials and Method: The anti-proliferative effects were evaluated using the MTT assay. The COLO 320 cells were treated with different concentrations of the leaf extract of Caralluma (100 – 300 μg/ml) for 24 h. The cell viability and IC₅₀ was calculated from the cytotoxicity. The morphology of the Caralluma treated cells, control, and positive control were observed under reverse phase inverted microscope. Result: The C. fimbriata ethanolic leaf extract showed dose dependant increase in cytotoxicity in COLO 320 human colon cancer cells. The maximum cytotoxic effect was noticed with maximum dose used in this study i.e., 300 μg with an IC₅₀ value of 233.87 μg. Conclusion: The present study shows that the ethanolic leaf extract of Caralluma fimbriata is capable of reducing cell proliferation by inducing cytotoxicity of COLO 320 cells.