Cytotoxic activity of water and ethanol extract of Curcuma caesia (blackturmeric) on breast cancer cell line

Breast cancer is one of the cancers with the highest incidence and mortality rate in the world. Curcuma caesia (Black turmeric) is known to have neuroprotective, anthelmintic, sunscreen activity, anti-diabetic and also anti-cancer activity. This study aimed to determine the phytochemical content and possible cytotoxic activity of C. caesia water extract (EWCC) and C. caesia ethanol extract (EECC) on breast cancer cell lines. Samples were extracted using two extraction methods, maceration technique using 96% ethanol as solvent and double boiling using water as a solvent. The phytochemical content, total phenolic content (TPC), and total flavonoid content (TFC) of each extract were determined using spectrophotometer method. Cytotoxic activity was measured using MTT assay on MCF-7 and 4T1 breast cancer cell lines (24 hrs and 48 hrs). Results showed that EWCC and EECC contained flavonoids, alkaloids, and polyphenols. The values of TPC and TFC were 106.08 mg GAE/100 g and 4.32 mg QUE/g for EECC, respectively, and 73.29 mg GAE/100 g and 3.40 mg QUE/g for EECC, respectively. Meanwhile, the cytotoxic activity test found that EWCC did not provide cytotoxic activity on MCF-7 and 4T1 cells. In the MCF-7 cell line, EECC exhibited IC50 values of 212.90 µg/mL at 24 hrs and 311.91 µg/mL at 48 hrs. Similarly, in the 4T1 cell line, EECC exhibited IC50 values of 161.06 µg/mL at 24 hrs and 150.89 µg/mL at 48 hrs. From these results, it can be concluded that EECC has cytotoxic activity in MCF-7 and 4T1 breast cancer cell models, so this extract can be studied more deeply to determine its pathway of action.