Anticancer activity of methanol extract of Cucurbita maxima against Ehrlich ascites carcinoma

One of the largest causes of mortality worldwide is cancer. Increasing interest and research on herbal medicine have revealed its importance in treating many diseases including cancer. The present study was carried out to evaluate the antitumor activity of methanol extract of Cucurbita maxima Duchesne aerial parts (MECM) on Ehrlich Ascites Carcinoma (EAC) model in mice. After inoculation of EAC cells into mice, treatment with MECM (200 and 400 mg/kg) and standard drug 5-Fluorouracil (20 mg/kg) were continued for 9 days. Evaluation of the effect of drug response was made by the study of tumor growth response including increase in life span, study of hematological parameters, biochemical estimations, antioxidant assay of liver tissue and in vitro cytotoxicity. Experimental results revealed that C.maxima possesses significant anticancer activity which may be due to its cytotoxicity and antioxidant properties. Further research is going on to find out the active principle(s) of MECM for its anticancer activity.