Ethyl acetate fraction of andrographis paniculata ness increases cytotoxic effect of 5-fluorouracil on human cancer cell lines

Objective: The objective of the present investigation was to examine whether ethyl acetate fraction from Andrographis paniculata Ness (EAA) synergizes the therapeutic potential of 5-flourouracil against different human cancer cell lines (HeLa, Widr and T47D). Methods: MTT assay was used to measure the growth inhibitory effect of the combination. Synergistic efficacy was subjected to median effect analysis with nonexclusive model as previously described by Chou and Talaly [1]. Results: IC₅₀ of EAA were 18.486 μg/ml in HeLa cells line, 13.467 μg/ml in Widr cells line and 21.618 μg/ml in T47D cells line. EAA and 5-FU combined as a cocktail, synergistically inhibited the growth of cancer cells in vitro, with Combination Index value (CI) ranging from 0.20 to 0.07 in HeLa cells line, 0.97 to 0.35 in Widr cells line and 0.004 to 0.001 in T47D cells lines. Conclusion: EAA and 5-FU, combined as a cocktail, showed strong synergism in inhibiting the growth of human breast cancer cells (T47D) in vitro.