Evaluation of Antiproliferative and Pro-apoptotic activity of Cissus quadrangularis plant extract on U937 lymphoma cell lines

Background: Cancer chemotherapy is ever-evolving, as much as newer modalities for the treatment of cancer are needed so is the necessity to look into the long-established traditional ways of treatment of ailments which has a reputation of being safe and natural, also research its potentiality in cancer therapy. The current study evaluates the antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic activity of the Cissus quadrangularis plant extract on U937 lymphoma cell lines owing to the highly essential phytochemicals isolated from the plant. Methods: The study utilized the 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay to measure antiproliferative effects. Study evaluated the percentage of viable U-937 cells across a gradient of ethanolic shoot extract of Cissus quadrangularis (ESCQ) concentrations ranging from 7.8 mcg/mL to 1000 mcg/mL. After establishing the IC50, researchers performed a DNA fragmentation assay. Results: The U937 cells exhibited a dose-dependent decrease in viability when exposed to ESCQ, dropping from 84.24% at 7.8 mcg/ml to 38.81% at 1000 mcg/ml. The plant extract's IC50 was determined to be approximately 250 mcg/ml, compared to 62.5 mcg/ml for the standard chemotherapy drug, Adriamycin. Furthermore, exposing the lymphoma cells to the extract at the IC50 concentration resulted in clear DNA fragmentation. Conclusion: The immense literature proof of the various activities of the herb including in-vivo, in-vitro, and clinical studies gives the necessity to further explore the potential of the herb for more mainstream clinical use. There was a concentration-dependent inhibition of U937cell-lines when treated with the extract confirmed by MTT assay, the concentration of IC50 was found to be in the range of 250 mcg/ml and showed DNA fragmentation indicating that Cissus quadrangularis has an antiproliferative and pro-apoptotic property