Cytogenetic and cytotoxic study of micromeria myrtifolia extract on animal and human cancer cell line

Abstract EN

The study was designed to evaluate the cytogenetic effect of Micromeria myrtifolia methanolic extract and cyclophosphamide in albino male mice (in vivo).

The cytogenetic evaluation included the metaphase index of bone marrow.

Two doses 200 and 400 mg / kg of extract and one doses of cyclophosphamide 15mg / kg were investigated as a positive control.

Additionally the cytotoxic effect of Micromeria myrtifolia on two cancer cell line was carried out.

The chemical detection of the flavonoids, polysaccharides and alkaloids was also carried out.

The chemical detection for active compounds revealed that the methanol extract was positive for flavonoids and polysaccharides and it was negative for alkaloids.

Also the result showed that M.

myrtifolia caused a significant increase in metaphase index of mice bone marrow cells in comparison with the negative control (distilled water) and positive controls (Cyclophosphamide).

The methanolic extract showed some inhibitory effect on L20B and RD cell line growth rate after 72 hr.

in comparison with control.

From this study we conclude that the M .myrtifolia extracts were effective in enhancing the values of immunological parameters by increasing the metaphase index of mice bone marrow cells and the study prove that the M myrtifolia extract has significant cytotoxic activity on two types of tumor cell lines.