Evaluación de la actividad citotóxica en líneas celulares cancerosas de plantas panameñas del Parque Nacional Camino de Cruces

Yelkaira  Vásquez; Edith Vásquez; Lourdes García; Dionisio Olmedo; Ana I. Santana Santana; Alex  Espinosa; Pablo N. Solís

doi:10.48204/j.scientia.v36n1.a8658

Submitted November 13, 2025

Published 2026-01-06

Artículos

Vol. 36 No. 1 (2026): Scientia

Screening of the cytotoxic activity on cancer cell lines of panamanian plants from Camino de Cruces National Park

Yelkaira Vásquez⁺⁻
Edith Vásquez⁺⁻
Lourdes García ⁺⁻
Dionisio Olmedo ⁺⁻
Ana I. Santana Santana ⁺⁻
Alex Espinosa ⁺⁻
Pablo N. Solís ⁺⁻

DOI https://doi.org/10.48204/j.scientia.v36n1.a8658

PDF (Español (España))

References

DOI: 10.48204/j.scientia.v36n1.a8658

Published: 2026-01-06

How to Cite

Vásquez, Y., Vásquez, E., García , L., Olmedo , D., Santana , A. I. S., Espinosa , A., & Solís , P. N. (2026). Screening of the cytotoxic activity on cancer cell lines of panamanian plants from Camino de Cruces National Park. Scientia, 36(1), 54–74. https://doi.org/10.48204/j.scientia.v36n1.a8658

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Abstract

Cancer is one of the leading causes of morbidity and mortality in Panama and represents one of the greatest challenges to global public health. To identify Panamanian plant species with anticancer potential, a bioprospecting study was conducted in a plot within Camino de Cruces National Park. A total of 925 genera recorded in the plot were analyzed using bio-chemo-taxonomic and ethnopharmacological criteria, leading to the selection of 164 species belonging to 91 genera with no previous phytochemical or anticancer studies. Forty-one species of these potential plants were collected, yielding 100 plant extracts obtained by maceration with dichloromethane (DCM) and methanol (MeOH). Cytotoxic activity was evaluated in vitro against three human cancer cell lines: breast (MCF-7), lung (H-460), and central nervous system (SF-268), using the Sulforhodamine B colorimetric assay. A preliminary screening at 100 ?g/mL was performed to estimate cell growth inhibition (%GI), and a final screening at five dilutions was performed to determine the mean inhibitory concentration (GI??). A total of 25 extracts were found to be active with GI??= ? 100 µg/mL. Highlighting the species Anthurium cerrocampanense Croat (Araceae), Tilesia baccata Pruski (Asteraceae), Connarus panamensis Griseb. (Connaraceae), Odonellia hirtiflora (M. Martens & Galeotti) K.R. Robertson (Convolvulaceae), Sicydium tamnifolium (Kunth) Cogn. (Cucurbitaceae), Polybotrya polybotryoides (Baker) Christ (Dryopteridaceae), Billia rosea (Planch. & Linden) C. Ulloa & P. Jørg. (Hippocastanaceae), Cyclopeltis semicordata (Sw.) J. Smith (Lomariopsidaceae), Spachea elegans (G. Meyer) Juss (Malpighiaceae), Bellucia pentamera Naudin (Melastomataceae), Conostegia speciosa Naudin (Melastomataceae), Otoba novogranatensis Moldenke (Myristicaceae), Sobralia fragrans Lindl. (Orchidaceae), Witheringia correana D'Arcy (Solanaceae), which exhibited cytotoxic activity against the three cell lines for the first time.

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