Datura stramoium Extract Inhibits Mitosis in Cancer Cells

Abstract

  The aim of this study was to evaluate the anti mitotic activity of ether extract prepared from Datura stramoium plant on cancer cells.  Recently oncology studies are directed toward substances which act somehow to induce apoptosis or to prevent abnormal dividing of cell, that may provide therapeutic strategies for the treatment of cancer. Thus, many research on various types of plants such as fruits, vegetables, other editable plants and toxic plants have been done in vitro and in vivo. But, few studies on Datura plant were occurred and there was no previous study dealing with its effect on proliferative activity of cancer cells.  In current study, two types of common malignant tumor were tested in vitro. These were mammary cancer and glioma. The cancer cells were exposed to various concentration of ether extract of Datura stramoium 1000, 1250, 1500 ï­g/ml. Then percentage of mitotic indexes were estimated.  The results exhibited that there were decreases in percentages of mitotic index in both types of cancer cells. However, the decrement was significant in the mammary cancer and insignificant in glioma cell line.