Effect of aqueous and methanol extracts of tradescantia zebrina and fluminensis on human cells

Abstract

Tradescantia zebrina and Tradescantia fluminensis have medicinal properties. Extracts of these plants may have anticancer characteristics. Assays were preformed that measured doubling time and clonogenic survival of SCC-13y (squamous cell carcinoma), HFF-1 (human foreskin fibroblasts), and A549 (lung adenocarcinoma) cells. Proliferation inhibition was determined via growth curve analysis. Compared to the negative control of sterile water, cancer cell proliferation was decreased with the addition of T. zebrina treatments. This study confirms the general inhibitory effects of T. zebrina and T. fluminensis extracts on cancerous and non-cancerous cells, allowing further research to be conducted involving different cell lines and methods of extraction.