Antiproliferative activity of selected medicinal plants of Jordan against a breast adenocarcinoma cell line (MCF7)

76 ethanolic extracts of medicinal herbs from the Jordanian flora, belonging to 67 species and 34 families, were evaluated for their antiproliferative activity on a breast cancer cell line (MCF7). The cells were cultured in RPMI 1640 medium and incubated with the extracts for 72 hours. Sulphorhodamine B (SRB) assay was used to test cytotoxicity.
From the tested crude extracts, Inula graveolens, Salvia dominica, Conyza canadiensis and Achillea santolina showed potent antiproliferative activity and the activity resided in the chloroform/ethanolic extracts. The most active plant was I. graveolens with an IC₅₀ of 3.83 μg/ml. Phytochemical screening indicated the presence of flavonoids, terpenoids, and phenolics in all active extracts. These results indicate the possible potential use of medicinal plants from the Jordanian flora as antineoplastic agents.