Tumour growth inhibitory effect of <i>Ibervillea sonorae</i> phytopreparations in cervical cancer xenografts

Cucurbitacin IIb, a triterpene obtained from the <i>Ibervillea sonorae</i> plant, reduces tumour development in a preclinical model of cervical cancer. Acetison and Etanison, phytopreparations made from <i>I. sonorae</i>, present biological activity analogous to CIIb in HeLa. This research evaluated the tumour growth inhibitory effect of these phytopreparations in a HeLa xenograft tumour model in BALB/c nude mice. Tumours in mice were treated every 3 days for 12 days with cisplatin (2 mg/kg), CIIb (5 mg/kg), Acetison (20 mg/kg), Etanison (30 mg/kg), and DMSO at 2%. For histological observations, tumours were stained with H&E. Fingerprinting of both phytopreparations was performed using HPLC-UV and UHPLC-APCI-IT-MS. Both phytopreparations and CIIb inhibit tumour development as well as Cisplatin (75.5%); Etanison (77.7%), Acetison (73.6%), and CIIb (73.0%). Furthermore, only tumours treated with cisplatin showed invasion of bone tissue. The results show the potential use of <i>I. sonorae</i> phytopreparations in the treatment of cervical cancer.