Planta Med 2009; 75 - SL35
DOI: 10.1055/s-0029-1234290

Tulbaghia alliacea: A potential anti-cancer phytotherapy

S Thamburan 1, F February 2, M Meyer 2, J Rees 1, Q Johnson 1
  • 1SA Herbal Science and Medicine Institute, University of the Western Cape, P/Bag X17, Bellville, 7535, South Africa
  • 2Department of Biotechnology, University of the Western Cape, P/Bag X17, Bellville, 7535, South Africa

Tulbaghia alliacea is an indigenous garlic plant used in traditional medicine as an anti-cancer remedy. To evaluate this claim, five human cancer cell lines were treated with Tulbaghia alliacea aqueous (TAA) and chloroform extract (TAC), for their potential to induce apoptosis (0–10mg/ml over 24 hours) in vitro. Using phosphatidyl serine externalisation, Caspase-3 cleavage, mitochondrial depolarisation and DNA fragmentation as markers, this study showed that both extracts induced apoptosis in three of these cell lines (Jurkat, MCF7 and MG63) while the other two cell lines (HeLa and H157) were completely resistant.

Figure 1: FLTR-Effects of TAA and TAC (6mg/ml) on Bax, Caspase 3 and Caspase 9

Gene product studies through real time PCR (Fig.1) revealed that TAA and TAC significantly induced the expression of Caspase-3, Caspase-9 and Bax, over time (P<0.001). Whilst a previous study showed that Tulbaghia violacea extracts induced apoptosis [1], this is the first report on the apoptotic effects of T. alliacea in Jurkat, MCF7 and MG63 cancer cells during in vitro conditions.

Reference: [1] Bungu, L. et al. (2006) Afr. J. Biotechnol. 5:1936–1943.