Effects of Ficus hirta Vahl. (Wuzhimaotao) extracts on growth inhibition of HeLa cells

Ficus hirta Vahl. (Wuzhimaotao) is widely used as a folk medicine by Hakka people in southern China. In order to ascertain if any major fraction can be attributed to have pronounced anticancer effect, extracts of Wuzhimaotao on cytotoxic and apoptosis of HeLa cell lines were evaluated. HeLa cells were cultured and incubated with different concentrations of crude aqueous extracts (CAE), ethyl acetate extracts (EAE), and butyl alcohol extracts (BAE). It showed CAE, EAE, and BAE decreased cell viability on HeLa cells as a dose-dependent manner, and induced a sub-G1 peak in flow cytometry histogram of treated cells compared to the control. Apoptotic cell death is involved in CAE, EAE, and BAE toxicity, with EAE having a significant decrease in G1 population. An over all analysis of results showed that Wuzhimaotao extracts exert antiproliferative action and growth inhibition on HeLa cells through apoptosis induction which indicates its anticancer properties and deserves further investigation.