Anticancer activity of n-hexane extract of Cichorium intybus on lymphoblastic leukemia cells (Jurkat cells)

Cichorium intybus commonly known as chicory is a member of the family Compositeae. It has been known for various pharmacological activities and anticancer effects against various cell lines including breast cancer MCF-7, prostate cancer LNCaP, amelanotic melanoma C32 and renal adenocarcinoma ACHN. In the present study, aerial parts of C. intybus were collected, identified, soaked in n-hexane non polar solvent, filtered and evaporated till the extract residue was isolated, dried and stored at 4°C and then checked for cytotoxic activities. Lymphoblastic leukemia cells (Jurkat cells) were used to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of n-hexane extract of C. intybus. Extracts were added to the cultured cells of selected cell line in various concentrations (10, 25, 50, 75 and 100 µg/ml) and incubated for 24 h. Trypan blue exclusion assay, MTS assay and FACS analysis were carried out to analyze cell viability, cell proliferation and apoptosis, respectively. The non polar n-hexane extract significantly reduced the number of viable cells and cell proliferation percentage but induced the apoptosis haphazardly. Results of this study demonstrate that n-hexane extract of C. intybus has potent anti-proliferative and cytotoxic activity against Jurkat cells, a human leukemia cell line.   Key words: Cichorium intybus, Jurkat cells, lymphoblastic leukemia cells, MTS, trypan blue assay, apoptotic analysis.