Natural Alternatives To Treat Cancer: A Study On Anticancer Activity Of Lawsonia Inermis Linn.

Henna (Lawsonia inermis) is widely used cosmetically and medicinally. Literature survey reveals that the plant henna also has anticancer activity. Most of the anticancer activities of Lawsonia inermis plant are carried out using total leaves extract, and purified individual compounds also. The cytotoxicity profile of the extracts, as well as purified fractions, was determined by MTT assay on HeLa cell line. As the total ethanolic extract demonstrated growth inhibition in cancer cells, attempts were made to isolate the active compound from total ethanolic extract, with potent activity. Lawson, 2-hydroxy-1, 4-naphthoquinone is the active constituent of Lawsonia inermis (Henna), L. alba, and other species of Lythraceae family. It is reported to posses various medicinal properties. The present study reports the anticancer activity of lawsone, naphthoquinone derivative isolated from the henna leaves, and its predictive conformation by spectral studies. Isolated lawsone was tested for the anticancer activity, which showed significant results.