Cytotoxic Activities of Different Extracts of Teucrium divaricatum Kotschy ssp. canescens (Celak.) from Cyprus

The genus Teucrium belonging to the Lamiaceae family, grows in the Eastern Mediterranean region from Turkey to Palestine. Teucrium divaricatum Kotschy ssp. canescens (Celak.) is an endemic plant in North Cyprus. Herbal parts of Teucrium is used as an infusion for stomachic purposes as traditional medicine in Cyprus. Infusion of this plant is used orally in case of fever and common cold, also in association with inhalation of the steam. Externally, the infusion of the plant is also used in wound healing. In this study, the 70% methonolic extract of T. divaricatum ssp. canescens herba was fractionated by using ethyl acetate (TDE) and buthanol (TDB). TDE and TDB extracts of herbal parts of the plant were used in different concentrations to assess the anti-carcinogenic activity on liver adenocarcinoma cell line SK-HEP-1 using MTT assay. Results showed that both fractions have cytotoxic effects on SK-HEP-1 cells with different levels.