3.8(Q2)
CiteScore
27
h-index

In Vitro Screening of Anticancer Activity of Dregea volubilis and Leptadenia reticulata Using Sulforhodamine B (SRB) Assay

Document Type : Original Research Article

Authors

1 Department of Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Pondicherry - 607402, India

2 Department of Pharmacology, RR College of Pharmacy, Bangalore – 560090, India

3 Department of Pharmacology, Aditya Bangalore Institute of Pharmacy Education and Research, Bangalore -560064, India

4 Department of Pharmacology, MVM College of Pharmacy, Bangalore – 560064, India

5 Department of Pharmacology, Nandi Medical College and Research Institute, Ckikkaballapur, Karnataka, India

6 Department of Pharmacognosy, School of Pharmacy, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Pondicherry-607402, India

7 Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, School of Pharmacy, Sri Balaji Vidyapeeth (Deemed to be University), Pondicherry – 607402, India

Abstract
The present study aimed to evaluate the anticancer potential of Dregea volubilis and Leptadenia reticulata extracts using the Sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay against selected human cancer cell lines. Ethanolic extracts of both plants were tested, and Adriamycin was used as the reference standard. The GI₅₀ values of Dregea volubilis and Leptadenia reticulata extracts were found to be 62.4 µg/mL and 78.6 µg/mL, respectively, while Adriamycin exhibited a GI₅₀ value of 1.2 µg/mL under similar conditions, indicating comparatively lower potency of the plant extracts. Among the two, Dregea volubilis showed better cytotoxic activity. The findings suggest that the bioactive constituents of these plants may serve as leads for the development of novel anticancer agents. This study provides the first comparative evidence of the anticancer potential of these traditional medicinal plants, supporting their ethnopharmacological relevance.

Graphical Abstract

In Vitro Screening of Anticancer Activity of Dregea volubilis and Leptadenia reticulata Using Sulforhodamine B (SRB) Assay

Keywords

Subjects


©2026 The author(s). This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this license, visit: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

PUBLISHER NOTE

Sami Publishing Company remains neutral concerning jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

CURRENT PUBLISHER

Sami Publishing Company

[1] Izevbigie, E.B. Discovery of water-soluble anticancer agents (edotides) from a vegetable found in Benin city, Nigeria. Experimental Biology and Medicine, 2003, 228(3), 293-298.
[2] Skehan, P., Storeng, R., Scudiero, D., Monks, A., McMahon, J., Vistica, D., Warren, J.T., Bokesch, H., Kenney, S., Boyd, M.R. New colorimetric cytotoxicity assay for anticancer-drug screening. JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 1990, 82(13), 1107-1112.
[3] Orellana, E.A., Kasinski, A.L. Sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay in cell culture to investigate cell proliferation. Bio-Protocol, 2016, 6(21), e1984.
[4] McCaffrey, T.A., Agarwal, L.A., Weksler, B.B. A rapid fluorometric DNA assay for the measurement of cell density and proliferation in vitro. In Vitro Cellular & Developmental Biology, 1988, 24(3), 247-252.
[5] Monks, A., Scudiero, D., Skehan, P., Shoemaker, R., Paull, K., Vistica, D., Hose, C., Langley, J., Cronise, P., Vaigro-Wolff, A. Feasibility of a high-flux anticancer drug screen using a diverse panel of cultured human tumor cell lines. JNCI: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 1991, 83(11), 757-766.
[6] Pittayakhajonwut, P., Suvannakad, R., Thienhirun, S., Prabpai, S., Kongsaeree, P., Tanticharoen, M. An anti-herpes simplex virus-type 1 agent from xylaria mellisii (BCC 1005). Tetrahedron Letters, 2005, 46(8), 1341-1344.
[9] Vichai, V., Kirtikara, K. Sulforhodamine B colorimetric assay for cytotoxicity screening. Nature Protocols, 2006, 1(3), 1112-1116.
[10] Kalidass, C., Glory, M., Borgio, F., Manickam, V.S. Antibacterial activity of Leptadenia reticulata (Retz.) Wight & Arn. (Asclepidaceae). Ancient Science of Life, 2009, 28(4), 10–12.
[11] Alavinia, S., Ghorbani-Vaghei, R., Haddadi, R., Sanemar, K., Uroomiye, S.S., Nourian, A., Emami, N. Anticancer effects of silymarin-loaded ACA-HA/sulfonamide IR-MOF nanoplatform in CT-26 xenograft model. International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, 2025, 309, 142651.
[12] Taek, M.M., Ma'arif, B., Nurmawati, D., Maulina, N., Dahayu, D., Isyrafi, M.A., Rahmawati, G.F., Muslikh, F.A. Metabolite profiling of ethanol extract of radix uvaria rufa blume by uplc-qtof-ms/ms and its potential aphrodisiac activity. Asian Journal of Green Chemistry, 2025, 9(4), 985-1003.
[13] Riwayati, I., Purnomo, M. Optimization of microwave-assisted extraction process for flavonoids from avicennia marina stem using response surface methodology. Asian Journal of Green Chemistry, 2025, 9(5), 643–659.
[14] Baratam, K., Boddu, V. Evaluation of phytochemical and antibacterial activity of thunbergia fragrans. Asian Journal of Green Chemistry, 2025, 9(4), 476–493.
[15] Sushma, K., Surendra, G., Bagade, O.M., Jahnavi, P., Averineni, A., Rani, S., Kiran, V., Shankar Gupta, P. Metallic nanocarriers for targeted delivery of anticancer drugs: Advances and therapeutic potential. Journal of Applied Organometallic Chemistry, 2025, 5(4), 508–534.
[16] Surendra, G., Hari Babu, R., Lakshmi Marella, V., N., S., V., S., Kishore, D., Mohiuddin Shaik, K., Jahnavi, P. Iron-based organometallics in anticancer therapy: mechanisms, metal–ligand synergy, and future potential. Journal of Applied Organometallic Chemistry, 2025, 5(4), 535–559.
[17] Sikkander, A.R.M., Meena, M., Yadav, H., Wahi, N., Lakshmi, V.V. Appraisal of the impact of applying organometallic compounds in cancer therapy. Journal of Applied Organometallic Chemistry, 2024, 4, 145-166.
[18] Durgawale, P.T., Singh, L.P., Qureshi, M.S., Ranajit, S.K., Dash, S., Khan, M.M.U., Deokar, M., Kazi, A. Chemistry, molecular mechanisms, and therapeutic potential of curcumin in cancer therapy. Journal of Chemical Reviews, 2025, 7(3), 452–511.
[19] Kamoon, R.A., Talib, A.B., Sadiq, Z.A., Abdulhadi, S.L. Importance of coordination chemistry in anticancer, antimicrobial, and antioxidant therapy: A review. Journal of Chemical Reviews, 2025, 7(1), 1–24.
[20] Singh, C., Anand, S.K., Tiwari, K.N., Mishra, S.K., Kakkar, P. Phytochemical profiling and cytotoxic evaluation of Premna serratifolia L. against human liver cancer cell line. 3 Biotech, 2021, 11(3), 115.
[21] Ansari, P., Reberio, A.D., Ansari, N.J., Kumar, S., Khan, J.T., Chowdhury, S., Abd El Mordy, F.M., Hannan, J.M.A., Flatt, P.R., Abdel Wahab, Y.H.A., Seidel, V. Therapeutic potential of medicinal plants and their phytoconstituents in diabetes, cancer, infections, cardiovascular diseases, inflammation and gastrointestinal disorders. Biomedicines, 2025, 13(2), 454.
[22] Michael, R. The NCI in vitro anticancer drug discovery screens. Concept Implementation and Operation, 1985, 23-42.
[23] Qian, J., Zhou, C., Qian, Z., Nan, F., Ye, Q. Development of a k562 cell-based assay for screening anticancer agents. Acta Pharmacologica Sinica, 2001, 22(9), 821-826.
Volume 10, Issue 3
May and June 2026
Pages 500-507

  • Receive Date 14 October 2025
  • Revise Date 27 November 2025
  • Accept Date 22 December 2025