Anti-proliferative and photodynamic activities of Senna didymobotrya (Fresen.) leaf alkaloid-rich extracts against breast cancer cells

Sep 23, 2026

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Breast cancer is a major cause of death among women worldwide, and alkaloid-based chemotherapy is widely used. This study evaluates the anti-proliferative effectiveness of alkaloid-rich fractions from Senna didymobotrya leaves, alone and combined with laser irradiation, on MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Leaf extracts were prepared from 50% ethanol processing and tested at 240 μg/mL with 405 nm laser exposure (10 Jcm−2) after 6 h.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Method and materials

Results

Conclusion

Introduction

Olofinsan et al. BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies (2025) 25:17 [https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-025-04763-8](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12906-025-04763-8) BMC Complementary Medicine and Therapies RESEARCH Open Access Anti-proliferative and photodynamic activities of Senna didymobotrya (Fresen.) leaf alkaloid-rich extracts against breast cancer cells Kolawole A. Olofinsan 1, Heidi Abrahamse1 and Blassan P. George 1* Abstract Background Amongst all neoplastic diseases, breast cancer represents a major cause of death among the female population in developed and developing countries. Since alkaloid drugs are commonly used in chemotherapy to manage this disease, this study investigated the anti-proliferative effectiveness of alkaloid-rich fractions of Senna didymobotrya leaves only and with laser irradiation against MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Method and materials A powdered sample of the plant leaves was extracted with 50% ethanol, filtered and their pH was adjusted with acid and base solution followed by partitioning with chloroform and ethyl acetate solvents. Cells were treated with 240 μg/mL of the respective extracts, while those in the photodynamic therapy groups, cells were exposed to laser (405 nm wavelength and 10 Jcm−2) irradiation 6 h post extracts’ administration. Results Treatment with the S. didymobotrya leaves alkaloid extracts significantly decreased the ATP concentration and overall viability of the MCF-7 cells. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) levels in cell groups treated with the extractsand laser light were considerably higher than in experimental groups treated with only the extracts. Moreover, the molecular docking analysis revealed the involvement of only hydrophobic bonds in the interactions ofthe plant’s alkaloid-derived phytoconstituents’ with selected cancer protein biomarkers. Conclusion Although the in silico analysis suggests that the plant-identified alkaloid phytoconstituents inhibition of estrogen receptor-alpha, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 and progesterone receptor proteins involved in breast cancer pathogenesis could explain a possible mechanism for the observed anticancer effect, more detailed in vitro molecular experiments are necessary to confirm these findings. Keywords Breast cancer, Senna didymobotrya, Anticancer, Alkaloids, Photodynamic therapy, Reactive oxygen species Introduction Cancer is described as a neoplastic disease that remains a global health challenge with continually increasing reported incidence. According to Sung et al. [1] year 2020 report, cancer accounts for about 10 million deaths *Correspondence: Blassan P. George [blassang@uj.ac.za](blassang@uj.ac.za) 1 Laser Research Centre, Faculty of Health Sciences, Doornfontein Campus, University of Johannesburg, Johannesburg 2028, South Africa worldwide. Breast cancer is a major cancer type that constitutes a growing public health concern amongst the adult female population in Africa, even though other forms of this pathology affect people living on the continent. For instance, the data released by the South African National Cancer Registry, as reported by Swinny et al. [2], suggest that women in the country have a 1 in 27 chance of developing breast cancer. Breast cancer is a collective terminology given to the various subtypes of breast cancer, which vary depending on their molecular characteristics, clinical staging, and gene expression [3]. Generally, breast cancer could © The Author(s) 2025. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License, which permits any non-commercial use, sharing, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if you modified the licensed material. You do not have permission under this licence to share adapted material deri

FAQs

What is the purpose of this study on Senna didymobotrya?

The study assesses the anti-proliferative effects of alkaloid-rich leaf extracts from Senna didymobotrya against MCF-7 breast cancer cells, including whether laser-assisted photodynamic treatment enhances activity.

How were the leaf extracts prepared and applied to the cells?

Powdered leaves were extracted with 50% ethanol, filtered, and processed with pH adjustment before partitioning using chloroform and ethyl acetate. MCF-7 cells were treated with 240 μg/mL extracts.

What effects did the extracts and laser irradiation show in the results?

Extract treatment significantly reduced ATP concentration and overall cell viability. Reactive oxygen species levels increased markedly in extract-plus-laser groups compared with extract-only groups.

Sep 23, 2026

Uploaded by Finn