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Plantago asiatica is used extensively as a diuretic, anti-inflammatory agent, nerve-calming agent, and health supplement in Oriental herbal medicine and home remedy for treating asthma. In the present study, we extracted Plantago asiatica with 4 different organic solvents and hot water and investigated the anticancer effects of these extracts on the gastric cancer and colon cancer cell lines, SNU-16 and SNU-C2A, respectively. The inhibitory effect of Plantago asiatica extracted with hexane, chloroform, ethylacetate, methanol, and hot water on cancer cell growth was examined with MTT assay, a cytotoxicity test, and by microscopic observation. In SNU-16 cells, the organic solvent extracts of Plantago asiatica inhibited cell proliferation at the concentration of 100㎍/mL by MTT assay and growth was inhibited by more than 50% at 250㎍/mL. Similarly, treating SNU-C2A with P. asiatica extracts significantly inhibited cell proliferation with hexane and ethylacetate extracts suppressing growth by more than 50% at the concentration of 250㎍/mL. Chloroform and ethylacetate extracts exhibited particularly strong cytotoxic effects in SNU-16 and SNU-C2A cells within 72 hr of treatment. In the presence of P. asiatica extracts, morphological changes such as complete destruction of cells, and apoptosis were observed in both gastric and colon cancer cell lines. SNU-C2A cell appeared to be completely destroyed, since the resuspended cells showed no sign of proliferation. These effects were not observed in normal fibroblast cell lines. These findings suggest that P. asiatica organic solvent extracts possess growth inhibitory effect and cytotoxicity against Korean gastric and colon cancer cell lines.
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