Cytotoxic Effect of Korean Traditional Prescriptions on the Human Gastric Cancer Cell Lines

한약처방제의 인체 위암 세포주에 대한 세포독성 효과에 관한 연구

ln order to search for antigastric cancer agents from Korean traditional prescriptions. We selected 41 traditional prescriptions, based on a review of the Korean traditional medicine books. Both boiling water and methanol extracts were tested, by means of the Sulforhodamine B (SRB) protein assay. Six of the 41 water extracts; #3, #34, #35, #38, #40, #41 showed efficacy against gastric cancer cell (AGS: Human gastric carcinoma, ATCC HTB 103). #3 inhibited 50% cancer cell growth1 at the concentration of $152\;{\mu}g/ml$, #34, #35, #38, #40 and #41 inhibited 50% cancer cell growth at the concentration of $145\;{\mu}g/ml$, $129\;{\mu}g/ml$, $173\;{\mu}g/ml$, $10\;{\mu}g/ml$ and $19\;{\mu}g/ml$ respectively. Ten of the 41 methanol extracts; #1, #3, #32, #33, #35, #36, #37, #38, #41 were active. #1 inhibited 50% cancer cell growth at the concentration of $206\;{\mu}g/ml$, #3, #32, #33, #35, #36, #37, 738, #40, #41 inhibited 50% cancer cell growth at the concentration of $133\;{\mu}g/ml$, $159\;{\mu}g/ml$, $199\;{\mu}g/ml$, $147\;{\mu}g/ml$, $113\;{\mu}g/ml$, $187\;{\mu}g/ml$, $130\;{\mu}g/ml$, $9\;{\mu}g/ml$, $15\;{\mu}g/ml$ respectively. Prescription #3, #35, #38, #40, #41 were also interesting because both methanol and water extracts were active.