Anticancer activity of stem bark extract and fractions of Wrightia tinctoria in transplantable tumors in mice

Wrightia tinctoria Roxb. (Apocynaceae), widely used in traditional medicine for inflammatory conditions and cancer, has not been studied extensively for its anticancer potential. The present study evaluated the anticancer activity of ethanol extract (EE) and petroleum ether (PE) and ethyl acetate (EA) fractions of stem bark of W. tinctoria using in vivo models. The anticancer activity was evaluated in Dalton’s lymphoma ascites (DLA) solid tumor and Ehrlich’s ascites carcinoma (EAC) liquid tumor models after treatment for 18 and 13 days respectively at 50 and 100 mg/kg i.p. EA at 100 mg/kg was most effective in DLA model with 71.1% inhibition in tumor volume. In EAC model, EA significantly inhibited body weight gain due to liquid tumor (p < 0.05). The mean survival time (MST) increased (p < 0.001) at both doses along with significant improvement in hematological, and antioxidant parameters. W. tinctoria possesses significant anticancer activity and further investigations are in progress to identify the phytochemical and mechanistic basis of action.