In the present study, cytotoxic activities of various extracts of Indigofera astragalina were evaluated by short term cytotoxic assay and antiproliferative assay models. The extracts produce potent cytotoxic effect against Human cancer cell lines viz. Human cervical cancer (HeLa), lung cancer (A549), breast cancer (MCF7) and liver cancer (HepG2) cell lines. Hexane and water extracts showed moderate activity whereas ethanol, chloroform and ethyl acetate extracts showed potent activity against the tested cell lines. At the same time all the tested extracts showed 3-4 fold high IC50 values for the normal human dermal fibroblast cell line. This indicates the selective cytotoxicity towards the cancer cells. Preliminary phytochemical analysis of these extracts revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, polyphenolics and saponins. The anticancer activity of the extracts may be due to the rich amount of these phytochemicals. Therefore, the plant could be considered as a very good anticancer source with renowned therapeutic potential.
