EXTRACTS OF SAUDI ARABIAN HERBAL PLANTS, ANTI-CANCER METHOD USING SUCH EXTRACTS, AND CYTOLOGICAL PROFILING USING AUTOMATED HIGH-CONTENT IMAGING TECHNIQUE

摘要

Cell-based phenotypic profiling and image based high-content screening are used to gain insight into the mode of action and potential cellular targets of plants historically used to determine anti-cancer activity of Saudi Arabian plants Juniperus phoenicea (Arar), Anastatica hierochuntica (Kaff Maryam), and Citrullus colocynthis (Hanzal). The cytological profiles of fractions taken from the plants were compared with a set of reference compounds with known modes of action. Cluster analyses of the cytological profiles were performed, which revealed detailed information on the modes of action of the tested compounds as potential topoisomerase inhibitors. Cytological profiles showed that some of these compounds inhibited cell proliferation causing cell cycle disruption.