Anamú, or <i>Petiveria alliacea</i>, is an herb that has been widely used in folk medicine for treating pain, decreasing inflammation, and stimulating the immune system. Recent evidence suggested Anamú might also be useful in treating breast cancer, but its mechanism of action is still unknown. In order to investigate the potential anti-cancer activities of Anamú, soluble compounds were first extracted from the herb using different solvents. These extracts were analyzed by UV/Vis spectroscopy in order to compare their composition based on absorption peaks. Cancer cell lines were then treated with different concentrations of the extracts for various times, with solvent alone serving as the control. The effects on cell morphology were analyzed by phase contrast microscopy. Toxicity was measured by the ability of living cells to convert resazurin to the fluorescent resorufin. The ability of compounds to inhibit cellular metabolism was quantified by measuring cellular ATP levels using the CellTiterGlo assay. Results suggest that Anamú contains biologically active compounds that target essential cellular functions. Future work will seek to purify these molecules, determine their structure, and identify their cellular targets.

Investigating the medicinal herb anamú as an anti-cancer agent

Macromolecular Chemistry: The Second Century

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ACS Spring 2020 National Meeting & Expo

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.