Cytotoxic Activity of Methanolic Extract and Two Alkaloids Extracted from Seeds of Peganum harmala L.

Objective: To study the cytotoxic activity of P. harmala. Materials and method: The alkaloids harmine and harmaline have been isolated from a methanolic extract from the seeds of P. harmala L. and have been characterized by spectroscopic-Mass and NMR methods. The cytotoxicity of the methanolic extract and both alkaloids has been investigated in the three human cancer cell lines UACC-62 (melanoma), TK- 10 (renal) and MCF-7 (breast) and then compared to the positive control effect of the etoposide. Results and conclusion: The methanolic extract and both alkaloids have inhibited the growth of these three cancer cell-lines and we have discussed possible mechanisms involved in their cytotoxicity.