Flavonoid Component Determination and Apoptotic Induction Evaluation of Houttuynia cordata Thunb Extract on Human Acute Leukemic Cells

Development  of  resistance  to  currently  used  drugs  and  side  effects  of  several allopathic drugs have led to increased emphasis on plant materials uses as a source of medicines for a wide variety of human illnesses including leukemia. Houttuynia cordata Thunb (H.cordata), a Northern Thailand local plant and commonly known as Plucao, has various biological activities such as anti-inflammatory, anti-cancer and anti-leukemic activities. We aimed to determine active flavonoid components of H.cordata  and  to  investigate  the  effect  of H.cordata ethanolic  extract  on apoptotic induction on human acute lymphoblastic leukemia cells. In this study, we  found  that H.cordata ethanolic  extract  had  total  flavonoid  of  231.21 ±  4.19 mg QE/g dried H.cordata. The extract analyzed by quantitative LC-MS consists of several flavonoid components including hyperin 6.35 ± 0.41, quercetin 0.34 ± 0.02, isoquercetin  1.10 ±  0.03,  and  rutin  0.88 ±  0.04  (%w/w).  The  cytotoxicity  results showed  dose  dependent  decrease  in  growth  of  Jurkat  leukemic  cells.  Blebbing pattern of cell apoptosis was found in cells treated with H.cordata ethanolic extract for 24 and 48 hrs. Moreover, we found that the extract could substantially induce Jurkat  cell  death  through  apoptosis  at  both  12  and  24  hrs.  In  conclusion,  these results  indicated  that H.cordata ethanolic  extract  which  is  composed  of  several flavonoids, possesses anti-leukemic activity through apoptotic induction in Jurkat leukemia cells.