Background: Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in humans and animals, which makes the development of safer and more effective plant-based therapies needed. Taxus sumatrana is an endemic plant that contains the bioactive anticancer compound, notably in the bark. Due to its low solubility, T. sumatrana faces limitations. Therefore, nanotechnology-based delivery is a promising solution to enhance the bioactive potential of these compounds.
Objectives: The ability of T. sumatrana bark ethanolic extract and its nanoparticles to inhibit cell proliferation in canine malignant mesothelioma (cMM/IPB-B4) and human cervical cancer (HeLa) cells was examined in this study.
Methods: T. sumatrana extracts were obtained through maceration, followed by phytochemical screening, antioxidant, and toxicity assays. Four nanoparticle formulations were synthesized using ionic gelation, then characterized to determine the best formula. Cell viability assays and IC50 values were used to assess the antiproliferative activity of the compound.
Results: T. sumatrana extract exhibited potent cytotoxicity against HeLa cells (IC50 = 4.30 µg/mL) and slight cytotoxicity against cMM/IPB-B4 cells (IC50 = 41.68 µg/mL). Nanoparticle encapsulation increased their toxicity by lowering the IC50 to 1.41 µg/mL for HeLa and 33.30 µg/mL for cMM/IPB-B4. Both forms demonstrated dose-dependent antiproliferative activity, with nanoparticle formulation showing better results.
Conclusion: This study shows that T. sumatrana extract and its nanoparticles have significant antiproliferative effects on both cell lines, with the 0.6 mg/mL chitosan nanoparticle formulation being more potent. These results indicate that T. sumatrana has potential as a natural anticancer candidate, and nanoencapsulation could enhance the efficacy of its anticancer components.