In Vitro Cytotoxic Activity of Lagerstroemia speciosa (L.) Pers. Leaf Extracts against MCF-7 Breast Cancer Cells

Abstract

Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in women, and chemotherapy is limited by toxicity and drug resistance. Bungur (Lagerstroemia speciosa (L.) Pers.) leaves contain flavonoids and other secondary metabolites that may have cytotoxic potential, but data comparing extracts prepared with different solvents against MCF-7 breast cancer cells remain limited. This study aimed to determine the secondary metabolite content of L. speciosa leaf extracts and to compare their in vitro cytotoxicity against MCF-7 cells. Leaf powder (simplicia) was macerated with methanol, 70% ethanol, or ethyl acetate. The extracts were screened qualitatively for secondary metabolites, and cytotoxicity was determined using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The extract yields were 10.05% (methanol), 12.63% (70% ethanol), and 2.56% (ethyl acetate). All three extracts contained alkaloids, saponins, tannins, phenolics, flavonoids, triterpenoids, steroids, and glycosides. The half-maximal inhibitory concentration (IC50) values were 98.46 ppm for the methanol extract, 163.67 ppm for the 70% ethanol extract, and 182.72 ppm for the ethyl acetate extract. The methanol extract had the lowest IC50 and therefore the strongest cytotoxic activity among the three extracts. Based on these results, L. speciosa leaf extracts showed in vitro cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 cells and warrant further investigation.