Effects of Seed Extracts from Traditional Nigerian Medical Plants on Prostate Cancer Cell Growth

Prostate cancer is a serious health problem worldwide and it is the second most common cause of cancer related mortality in men in Western countries. The world health organization (WHO) reports that 80% of the populations of some Asian and African countries rely on traditional medicine as their primary health care and even in developed countries 70% to 80% of the population has used some form of alternative medicine. A literature review conducted in this study pertaining to the effects of African plants on prostate cancer yielded few results highlighting the need for more research in this field. In this study, the effect of ethanolic seed extracts from plants used in Nigerian traditional medicine on prostate cancer cell lines PC3 and LNCaP were investigated. Ethanolic extracts of Carica papaya, Mucuna pruriens, Denniettia tripetala, and Piper guineense in concentrations ranging from 0.01 μg/mL to 100 μg/mL were used to treat PC3 and LNCaP cells and cell viability was determined using trypan blue stain and hemocytometer counting. At concentrations of 100 μg/mL, the extracts of D. tripetala and P. guineense were found to significantly inhibit cell growth in PC3 and LNCaP cells. Cytotoxic effects were also observed in LNCaP cells exposed to 100 μg/mL of D. tripetala and P. guineense extracts. A significant biphasic growth curve was observed in LNCaP cells exposed to C. papaya extract for 48 hours. Conclusion: D. tripetala and P. guineense, which are widely used in Nigerian traditional medicine, have significant growth inhibitory and cytotoxic effects on prostate cancer cells in vitro. These results warrant further investigation into the novel effects of D. tripetala and P. guineense on prostate cancer.