In vitro antimicrobial and cytotoxic potential against colorectal cancer cell lines using ethanolic leaf extract of Sansevieria trifasciata (Agavaceae)

Background: Sansevieria trifasciata, common name, mother-in-law's tongue, is a member of the Agavaceae family. We undertook this study to evaluate the cytotoxicity of S. trifasciata leaf extract against two cancer cell lines as well as its antibacterial activities against six bacterial strains.

Materials and methods: The investigated cell lines include primary colon epithelial (PCE) cells and human colorectal cancer cells; the studied bacterial strains are Staphylococcus aureus, Proteus vulgaris, Bacillus subtilis, Klebsiella pneumoniae, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Escherichia coli. Using the agar well-diffusion method, various doses (5, 10, and 20 mg/mL) of plant extracts (ethanol and petroleum ether) were evaluated against each kind of bacterial strain. The minimal inhibitory doses were found using the two-fold serial dilution approach, with a range of 0.156-5 mg/mL.

Results: Comparing extracts of S. trifasciata leaves to tetracycline (0.05 mg/mL), a common antibiotic, revealed a wide range of antibacterial activity. P. vulgaris and S. aureus were the most sensitive bacterial strains to ethanol and petroleum ether extracts, respectively. The MTT test was employed to ascertain the viable cell count of PCE cells and HCT-116. When various ethanol extract concentrations (7.8, 15.63, 31.25, 62.5, 125, 250, 500, and 1000 μg/mL) were tested against the cell lines, HCT-116's IC50, values were lower as compared to PCE. The IC50 values for HCT-116 and PCE cells ranged from 10.0 to 14.07 μg/mL and 92.9-216.9 μg/mL, respectively.

Conclusions: Ethanolic extract of S. trifasciata showed promising antibacterial and anticancer properties.