Panchakola Reduces Oxidative Stress in MCF-7 Breast Cancer and HEK293 Cells

A large number of studies have proven the efficacy of ayurveda in the field of health and wellness. Panchakola, an ayurvedic formulation, is a general health tonic primarily used to cure fever, inflammation, pain, indigestion, and so on. We investigated effects of panchakola on oxidative stress in MCF-7 breast cancer and human embryonic kidney 293 (HEK293) cells. This work was performed to assess the antineoplastic and free radical-scavenging potential of aqueous extract of panchakola, a polyherbal formulation, in normal and breast cancer cell lines (i.e., HEK and MCF-7, respectively) using MTT assay. Activities of antioxidant enzyme, nitric oxide scavenger, superoxide dismutase, glutathione S-transferase, and glutathione peroxidase were assessed in cell lines incubated with and without panchakola. The outcome was analyzed by spectrophotometer. The results demonstrated increased cytotoxicity in MCF-7 (IC₅₀ 16.446 μg/ml) comparable to the results obtained with standard anticancer control (curcumin) with IC₅₀ 10.265 μg/ml in MCF-7 cell line. Further, the results obtained from antioxidant assays suggested increased antioxidant activity in MCF-7 cells as compared to normal HEK cells. The results derived from this study suggested panchakola is a strong contender in the field of phytomedicines to fight cancer and free radical-related diseases.