In Vitro Antiproliferative and ROS-Mediated Mitochondrial Apoptosis -Inducing Effects of Standardized Hydroalcoholic Extract of Eclipta prostrata in Human Breast Cancer Cells

Abstract

The present study evaluated the in vitro antiproliferative activity of a standardized hydroalcoholic extract of Eclipta prostrata against human breast cancer cells. The extract was prepared using 70% ethanol and characterized by determining the extraction yield, total phenolic content, total flavonoid content and wedelolactone concentration using high-performance liquid chromatography. Anticancer activity was investigated in estrogen receptor-positive MCF-7 and triple-negative MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells, while non-tumorigenic MCF-10A mammary epithelial cells were employed to assess selectivity. Cell viability was determined using the MTT assay following treatment with different extract concentrations for 24 and 48 h. The standardized extract exhibited concentration- and time-dependent inhibition of cell proliferation in both breast cancer cell lines, with MCF-7 cells showing greater sensitivity than MDA-MB-231 cells. In contrast, MCF-10A cells exhibited comparatively lower susceptibility to the extract, resulting in favorable selectivity indices. The high phenolic and flavonoid contents, together with successful HPLC standardization using wedelolactone as the marker compound, demonstrated the reproducibility and quality of the extract. These findings indicate that standardized Eclipta prostrata extract possesses promising in vitro antiproliferative activity with preferential cytotoxicity toward breast cancer cells. The results support further investigations to isolate the active constituents and evaluate their efficacy in advanced preclinical models.