Cytotoxicity of Various Fractions of Compounds Extracted from Yoyo Bitters on Human Cervical Cancer Cells

Abstract

Aims: To investigate cytotoxicity of pure fractions of compounds extracted from yoyo bitters on human cervical cancer cell and to characterize the compounds present in various extracts. Study Design:  Experimental Study. Background:  Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of death. It is common among women of reproductive age and it causes the highest morbidity and mortality among this population. In spite of several researches, therapeutic cure for cancer using conventional therapies has been elusive and this has resulted in the use of alternative therapies. Yoyo Bitters (YYB), a herbal product, produced in Nigeria is widely consumed with a view to alleviating various health challenges. Previous studies using animal models have tried to elucidate the pharmacological activities of YYB, but none has explored its cytotoxicity against human cervical cancer cells. This study was designed to investigate the cytotoxicity of pure fractions of compounds extracted from yoyo bitters on human cervical cancer cell and to characterize the compounds present in various extracts. Materials and Methods: Pure extracts of YYB were obtained using Column Chromatography. These extracts were investigated in vitro on Human Cervical Cancer Cells (Hela) with low passage number using MTT assay. Chemical compounds present in the extracts were characterized using Gas Chromatography, Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS).   Results: showed that various fractions of YYB exhibited cytotoxic activities on human cervical cancer cells. Half maximal (IC50) of fractions 1, 2 and 3 on cervical cancer cells were: 35.3 µg/ml, 5.6 µg/ml and 44.4 µg/ml respectively. The IC50 of Fraction 2, 5.6 µg/ml, was statistically significant (P= 0.008) when compared with values obtained from fractions 2 and 3. Conclusion: This study showed that all fractions of YYB exerted cytotoxic activity, but chemical compounds contained in fraction 2 exerted the highest cytotoxicity. Pharmacotherapeutic application of the chemicals as antitumorigenic agent against cervical cancer is discussed.