Cervical cancer is rated to be the leading cause of
cancer-related death in women worldwide. Since screening test and conventional treatments are less accessible for people in developing countries, an alternative use of medicinal plants exhibiting strong anticancer activities may be an affordable means to treat
cervical cancer. Mitrephora chulabhorniana (MC) is the newly identified species; however, its biological functions including anticancer activities have been largely unexplored. Hence, in this study, we were interested in investigating anticancer effects of this plant on the human cervical cell line (HeLa). MC extract was profiled for
phytochemicals by TLC. This plant was tested to contain
alkaloids,
flavonoids, and
terpenes. HeLa cells were treated with MC extract to investigate the anticancer activities. Cytotoxicity and viability of cells treated with MC were determined by MTT assay and
Trypan blue exclusion assay. Cell migration was tested by wound healing assay, and cell invasion was determined by Transwell assay. The level of
caspase 7,
caspase 9, and PARP was determined by western blot analysis. We found that the leaf extract of MC strongly reduced
cancer cell survival rate. This finding was consistent with the discovery that the extract dramatically induced apoptosis of
cervical cancer cells through the activation of
caspase 7 and
caspase 9 which consequently degraded PARP
protein. Furthermore, MC extract at lower concentrations which were not cytotoxic to the
cancer cells showed potent inhibitory activities against HeLa
cervical cancer cell migration and invasion. Mitrephora chulabhorniana possesses its pharmacological properties in inhibiting
cervical cancer cell migration/invasion and inducing apoptotic signaling. This accumulated information suggests that Mitrephora chulabhorniana may be a beneficial source of potential agents for
cervical cancer treatment.