EVALUATION OF IN VITRO HEPATIC TOXICITY OF LEAVES OF PTEROSPERMUM ACERIFOLIUM (L.) WILLD.
Objective: The objective of the study was to determine the in vitro hepatic toxicity profile of methanolic extract of leaves of Pterospermum acerifolium (L.) Willd. (MEPA) using a mammalian hepatic cell line (HepG2). Methods: To assess its in vitro hepatic toxicity, 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay using MEPA at a concentration of 25 μg, 50 μg, 100 μg, 200 μg, and 300 μg was carried out. Sorafenib tosylate was used as the standard agent to assess cytotoxicity. Results: The inhibitory concentration 50 (IC50) value for HepG2 cell lines was determined after 24 h. Thereafter the cytotoxicity study was again performed with the ½ IC50, IC50, and 2IC50 doses of MEPA. Experimentally, the IC50 was found to be 150.42 μg/ml for HepG2 using MEPA. A dose-dependent cytotoxicity and reduction in optical density were also observed with incremental MEPA administration. Conclusion: The cytotoxic potential of MEPA was found to be much less than that of sorafenib tosylate. Thus, MEPA shows in vitro cytotoxicity in mammalian hepatic cells (HepG2) at a concentration as low as 100 μg.