Anti-cancer and anti-gout potential of some Indonesian and Malaysian medicinal plants

Medicinal plants have undoubtedly been considered by human beings since ancient times as they have been shown to have therapeutic effects on various diseases including cancer and gout. Hence, this study aimed to evaluate the potential of some Indonesian and Malaysian plants as anti-cancer and anti-gout agents. In this study, Annona muricata (soursop) and Hedyotis corymbosa (pearl grass) leaves were investigated for their anti-cancer activity as well as their bioactive compounds which contributed to this activity. Meanwhile, Orthosiphon stamineus (java tea) leaves were investigated for the anti-gout properties using xanthine oxidase inhibition assay. For the anti-cancer activity, both plants showed potent anti-cancer activity against human breast cancer cell line (MCF7) in vitro. The isolation of the pure compounds from the methanol extract of A. murita and H. corymbosa qualitatively revealed the presence of non-phenolic compounds and steroids; respectively. For the anti-gout activity, the aqueous extract of O. stamineus displayed moderate xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity with IC50 value of 156.8 µg/ml. However, allopurinol, the standard drug used for the gout treatment exhibited higher anti-gout activity with IC50 value of 5.35 µg/ml. Therefore, this study demonstrated the anti-cancer and anti-gout properties of some Malaysian and Indonesian medicinal plants which can be a great potential for use in complementary and alternative medicines, although further studies are necessary to corroborate the reported results.