ANTIPROLIFERATIVE ACTIVITY OF WRIGHTIA TINCTORIA AND NERIUM INDICUM PLANT EXTRACTS AGAINST HUMAN CANCER CELL LINES

Cancer remains one of the leading causes of mortality worldwide, driving the search for new, effective treatments. Medicinal plants are a rich source of bioactive compounds with potential anticancer properties. This study evaluates the antiproliferative activity of Wrightia tinctoria and Nerium indicum extracts against human cancer cell lines. Plant materials were collected, dried, and extracted using chloroform, ethanol, and water. The cytotoxic effects were assessed using the brine shrimp lethality assay, while the MTT assay was used to evaluate antiproliferative activity against HeLa (cervical cancer) and MCF7 (breast cancer) cells. The ethanol extracts exhibited the highest cytotoxicity with Nerium indicum being more potent than Wrightia tinctoria. In the MTT assay, both ethanol extracts showed significant, dose dependent inhibition of HeLa and MCF7 cell growth. The highest inhibition was observed at the concentrations of 50-60 mg/mL for Wrightia tinctoria and 40–55 mg/mL for Nerium indicum. These findings suggest that the bioactive compounds in Wrightia tinctoria and Nerium indicum might be have potent anticancer properties. The ethanol extracts, particularly from Nerium indicum, demonstrated stronger antiproliferative effects, making them promising candidates for further research in cancer treatment.