Anti-tumor activity of Simarouba glauca on Ehrlich ascites carcinoma in mice
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.3329/bjp.v20i3.82674Keywords:
Anti-tumor activity, Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma, Simarouba glaucaAbstract
This study aimed to evaluate the anti-cancer potential of the ethanolic extract of Simarouba glauca leaf in Ehrlich ascites carcinoma-bearing Swiss albino mice. Ehrlich ascites carcinoma was induced by intraperitoneal injection of 1 × 10⁶ viable cells in each mouse. The extract (150 or 300 mg/kg) was administered as test, and standard drug 5-fluorouracil (20 mg/kg) as a positive control. Anti-tumor activity was assessed through changes in body weight, mean survival time, hematological parameters, hepatic glycoproteins, and antioxidant status. S. glauca extract significantly reduced tumor burden, improved mean survival time, normalized hemoglobin and erythrocyte counts, elevated antioxidant enzyme levels, and decreased liver glycoproteins. The 300 mg/kg dose showed superior efficacy compared to the lower dose and 5-fluorouracil. These findings suggest that S. glauca extract exhibits anti-tumor effects, likely mediated through antioxidant and immuno-modulatory mechanisms.
Downloads
0
0
References
Agarwal A, Kasinathan A, Ganesan R, Balasubramanian A, Bhaskaran J, Suresh S, Srinivasan R, Aravind KB, Sivalingam N. Curcumin induces apoptosis and cell cycle arrest via the activation of reactive oxygen species–independent mitochondrial apoptotic pathway in Smad4 and p53 mutated colon adenocarcinoma HT29 cells. Nutr Res. 2018; 51: 67-81.
Ahmad NH, Rahim RA, Mat I. Catharanthus roseus aqueous extract is cytotoxic to Jurkat leukaemic T-cells but induces the proliferation of normal peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Trop Life Sci Res. 2010; 21: 101-13.
Armstrong DK, Bundy B, Wenzel L, Huang HQ, Baergen R, Lele S, Copeland LJ, Walker JL, Burger RA. Gynecologic Oncology Group. Intraperitoneal cisplatin and paclitaxel in ovarian cancer. N Engl J Med. 2006; 354: 34-43.
Asatiani N, Sapojnikova N, Kartvelishvili T, Asanishvili L, Sichinava N, Chikovani, Z. Blood catalase, superoxide dismutase, and glutathione peroxidase activities in alcohol- and opioid-addicted patients. Medicina 2025; 61: 204.
Ayushi, Sahu PK, Roy A, Pandey P. Curcumin: A promising agent targeting cancer cell signaling pathways. Pharma Tutor. 2018; 6: 30-38.
Bala P, Rajendran R, Sasikumar CS. Antioxidant and anti-cancer activities of Simarouba glauca leaf extract in Ehrlich ascites carcinoma bearing mice. J Pharm Res. 2011; 4: 68-70.
Bala S, Kamboj S, Kajal A, Saini V, Nagpal M. Azadirachta indica: A herbal panacea in cancer prevention and treatment. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2011; 12: 437-45.
Balu KE, Ramya KS, Radha A, Krishnasamy G. Structure of intact chitinase with hevein domain from the plant Simarouba glauca, known for its traditional anti-inflammatory efficacy. Int J Biol Macromol. 2020; 161: 1381-92.
Banerjee S, Li Y, Wang Z, Sarkar FH. Multi-targeted therapy of cancer by genistein. Cancer Lett. 2008; 269: 226-42.
Biba V, Kunjiraman S, Rajam SSN, Anil S. The apoptotic properties of leaf extracts of Simarouba glauca against human leukemic cancer cells. Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. 2021; 22: 1305-12.
Chandel N, Verma A, Rana V. Phytochemical and pharmacological profile of Simarouba glauca: A review. J Ethnopharmacol. 2021; 267: 113495.
Dacie JV, Lewis SM. Practical haematology. 11th ed. London, Elsevier Health Sciences, 2011, pp 50-61.
Dhanabalan M, Seenivasan R. Evaluation of antitumor and antioxidant activity of methanolic extract of Acalypha indica in Ehrlich ascites carcinoma bearing mice. J Appl Pharm Sci. 2022; 12: 66-72.
Dineshkumar B, Mitra A, Manjunatha M. A comparative study of in vitro antioxidant and anticancer activities of methanolic leaf extracts of Simarouba glauca DC and Polyalthia longifolia Benth. & Hook. F. Int J PharmTech Res. 2010; 2: 1556-59.
Franssen FF, Smeijsters LJ, Berger I, Medinilla Aldana BE. In vivo and in vitro antiplasmodial activities of some plants traditionally used in Guatemala against malaria. Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 1997; 41: 1500-03.
Fridovich I. Superoxide radical and superoxide dismutases. Annu Rev Biochem. 1995; 64: 97-112.
Gamble JS. Flora of the Presidency of Madras. Vol. 1–3. Dehra Dun, Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh, 2008.
Gerber-Lemaire S, Juillerat-Jeanneret L. Glycosylation pathways as drug targets for cancer: Glycosidase inhibitors. Mini Rev Med Chem. 2006; 6: 1043-52.
Giovannucci E. Tomatoes, tomato-based products, lycopene, and cancer: Review of the epidemiologic literature. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1999; 91: 317-31.
Gurudhathan KB, Peerzada J, Prakesh A, Mohamed Jaabir MS. Exploring the anti-cancer potential of methanolic extract from Simarouba glauca: Induction of apoptosis and growth inhibition in lung cancer cells. Oral Oncol Rep. 2023; 8: 100104.
Harborne JB. Phytochemical methods: A guide to modern techniques of plant analysis. London, Fakenham Press, 1973, pp 33-80.
Jang M, Cai L, Udeani GO, Slowing KV, Thomas CF, Beecher CW, Fong HH, Farnsworth NR, Kinghorn AD, Mehta RG, Moon RC, Pezzuto JM. Cancer chemopreventive activity of resveratrol, a natural product derived from grapes. Science 1997; 275: 218-20.
Johnson DH, Paul D, Hande KR. Paclitaxel, 5-fluorouracil, and folinic acid in metastatic breast cancer: BRE-26, a phase II trial. Semin Oncol. 1997; 24 (Suppl 3): S22-25.
Kumar S, Pandey AK. Chemistry and biological activities of flavonoids: An overview. Sci World J. 2013; 2013.
Mahesh CD, Padyanna S, Manjunath, Janadri S. In vivo anti-cancer studies of Simarouba glauca aqueous extract leaves on Ehrlich ascites carcinoma model in mice. J Ayurveda Integr Med Sci. 2021; 6: 68-73.
Nair V, Singh S, Gupta YK. Evaluation of the disease modifying activity of Boswellia serrata in experimental models of rheumatoid arthritis and its mechanism of action. Indian J Pharmacol. 2015; 47: 506-12.
Newman DJ, Cragg GM. Natural products as sources of new drugs over the nearly four decades from 1981 to 2019. J Nat Prod. 2020; 83: 770-803.
Patil JB, Kim J, Jayaprakasha GK. Berberine induces apoptosis in breast cancer cells (MCF-7) through mitochondrial-dependent pathway. Eur J Pharmacol. 2010; 645: 70-78.
Polonsky J, Noel M, Hainaut M. Quassinoids: Structure-activity relationships. Planta Med. 1985; 51: 566-71.
Ramasamy R, Kalavathy R, Jeyasudha A. Evaluation of anti-cancer and antioxidant potential of ethanolic extract of Clerodendrum phlomidis Linn against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma in mice. Indian J Pharm Educ Res. 2020; 54: 675-82.
Ramasamy SP, Rajendran A, Pallikondaperumal M, Sundara-rajan P, Husain FM, Khan A, Hakeem MJ, Alyousef AA, Albalawi T, Alam P, Ali HM. Broad-spectrum antimicrobial, antioxidant, and anticancer studies of leaf extract of Simarouba glauca DC in vitro. Antibiotics (Basel). 2022; 11: 59.
Rashid M, Ahmad A, Arif JM. Ehrlich ascites carcinoma: A versatile model for in vivo studies of anticancer agents. Cancer Cell Int. 2022; 22: 104.
Rosa L, Silva CL, Farsky SHP. Tumor-induced inflammatory response and hyperalgesia in mice bearing Ehrlich tumor. Braz J Med Biol Res. 2002; 35: 717-23.
Russo M, Spagnuolo C, Tedesco I, Bilotto S, Russo GL. The flavonoid quercetin in disease prevention and therapy: Facts and fancies. Biochem Pharmacol. 2012; 83: 6-15.
Sheikh BY, Sarker MMR. Evaluation of anticancer potential of plant-derived compounds through modulation of glycoprotein biomarkers. Biomed Pharmacother. 2021; 134: 111101.
Singh N, Sahjlan P, Yadav SS. Phytochemistry and anticancer therapeutics of Camellia sinensis (green tea). Pharmacol Res Mod Chin Med. 2024; 12: 100484.
Sinha AK. Colorimetric assay of catalase. Anal Biochem. 1972; 47: 389-94.
Sinha M, Manna P, Sil PC. Terminalia arjuna protects mouse liver against carbon tetrachloride induced oxidative stress: A biochemical and histopathological approach. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2004; 4: 2.
Stan SD, Hahm ER, Warin R, Singh SV. Withaferin A causes FOXO3a- and Bim-dependent apoptosis and inhibits growth of human breast cancer cells in vivo. Cancer Res. 2008; 68: 7661-69.
Wang M, Xiao Y, Miao J, Zhang X, Liu M, Zhu L, Liu H, Shen X, Wang J, Xie B, Wang D. Oxidative stress and inflammation: Drivers of tumorigenesis and therapeutic opportunities. Antioxidants 2025; 14: 735.
World Health Organization. Cancer. 2022 (cited Jun 24, 2025). Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/cancer
Zhao W, Li Q, Ayaz M, Wang X. Natural product-based anti-cancer agents: Recent advances and future perspectives. Bioorg Med Chem Lett. 2021; 46: 128263.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Sivakumar Ramalingam, Saravanan Renuka
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
