In vitro ANTICANCER ACTIVITY OF Acacia HEARTWOOD EXTRACT

The objective of the present study was to investigate the anticancer effect of Acacia catechu Heartwood extract against breast cancer cell line (MCF-7). Cancer is a global public health problem due to its high mortality rate. Acacia catechu (Family: Fabaceae and subfamily: Mimosoideae) is a deciduous tree distributed throughout the Sub –Himalayan tract of Punjab to Assam. In ayurveda, the extracts of bark and heartwood were used to treat various human pathophysiological conditions like thinning of blood, skin disorders, chronic fever, throat problems, obesity, splenomegaly, tastelessness, hemorrhages, blood disorder and urine related disorders The MTT assay was conducted to know the cytotoxic effect of the compound on cell viability. The induction of cell cycle arrest and apoptosis probably constitute the antitumor mechanisms of extract. From the research we identified that Acacia heartwood has anticancer effects and is used to treat breast cancer.