Phytochemical Analysis and Cytotoxicity Studies of Curcuma amada rhizomes in BHK-21 Cells

Curcuma amada is medicinal plant which is used in several traditional medicines to cure various diseases. Curcuma amada has been shown to possess anti-inflammatory, antioxidant and antitumor properties. In this investigation, it had been planned to study its anticancer properties in BHK-21 cells. Acetone, Methanol, Ethanol and aqueous extracts of the rhizomes of Curcuma amada were screened for their anticancer properties. The cells were seeded with all the extracts separately and then allowed to grow for 24hrs; the cell growth was inhibited within 24hrs. The cytopathology observed were included rounding and clumping of cells, detachment of cells, flagging of cells and apoptosis. Methanolic and ethanolic extracts showed better response than that of its aqueous and acetone extract. The concentration of 10 mg/ml of ethanolic extract inhibited the cancerous cell growth.