applied sciences Article Antiproliferative Activity of Pyracantha and Paullinia Plant Extracts on Aggressive Breast and Hepatocellular Carcinoma Cells Neha Kaushik 1,* , Hyeonyeong Yang 1, SungRyong Jeong 1, Nagendra Kumar Kaushik 2 , Pradeep Bhartiya 2, Linh Nhat Nguyen 2, Eun Ha Choi 2 and June Hyun Kim 1,* 1 College of Engineering, Department of Biotechnology, University of Suwon, Hwaseong 18323, Korea;
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[email protected] (S.R.J.) 2 Plasma Bioscience Research Center/Applied Plasma Medicine Center, Department of Electrical and Biological Physics, Kwangwoon University, Seoul 01897, Korea;
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[email protected] (J.H.K.) Received: 9 September 2020; Accepted: 23 October 2020; Published: 26 October 2020 Abstract: In recent decades, the use of plants as a natural remedy has been widely applied in traditional medicine and the treatment of various diseases, including cancer. However, in order to confirm the potential benefits of anticancer drug development from natural sources, in-depth screening assessments are necessary. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the cytotoxic effects of eight medicinal plants against breast carcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma cell lines. Remarkably, among all the tested plant extracts, Pyracantha angustifolia and Paullinia cupana extracts showed maximum inhibition in the two cancer cell line models, as detected by cell viability assays, but not in normal mammary epithelial cells. Moreover, induction of cell cycle arrest was seen in both cancer cell models after treatment with extracts derived from the fruits of P.