Comparative in vitro study of Coleus amboinicus and paclitaxel on oral cancer cells

Oral cancer still represents a leading cause of mortality in India. Due to the drawbacks and limitations of current treatment options, a safe, low-cost therapy is the need of the hour. Recently, newer plant extracts with anticancer properties have gained considerable attention. Coleus amboinicus has been studied for its anticancer effects against various cancers. However, research focusing specifically on its effects on oral cancer cells is limited, highlighting the importance of this study.

The study intends to evaluate the anticancer effects of ethanolic leaf extract of Coleus amboinicus against CAL 27 cell lines through in vitro assays and to compare this with the previously existing plant-derived anticancer drug used for oral cancer, paclitaxel.

Ethanolic extracts of leaves of Coleus amboinicus were prepared, and the anticancer efficacy of the leaf extract as well as paclitaxel was evaluated against CAL-27 oral cancer cells in vitro. MTT assay was performed using various concentrations of the plant extract and the drug on oral cancer cells. The percentage of cell viability for each concentration was calculated, and the IC₅₀ values were derived for both the extracts. Apoptosis detection was done using acridine orange-ethidium bromide dual fluorescence staining.

The results revealed a decrease in the percentage of viable cells with increasing concentration of Coleus amboinicus extracts. The IC₅₀ values of Coleus amboinicus and paclitaxel were 206.44 and 54.97 µg/ml, respectively (P < 0.001). Coleus amboinicus showed significant cytotoxicity, although not as effective as paclitaxel, on oral cancer CAL-27 cells.

The leaves of Coleus amboinicus exhibit potent anticancer activity against oral cancer (CAL-27) cells.