Locally famous Karhee or Berre [Sorbaria tomentosa (Lindl.) Rehder] exhibits
medicinal value as a large woody shrub. The present study examined the cytotoxic activities
of S. tomentosa using methanolic extracts and fractions (n-hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl
acetate and water) against three cancer cell lines (lung A-549, hepatocellular HepG2and
urinary bladder EI-138). Cytotoxic assays were carried out with five concentrations (0.05,
0.01, 0.05, 0.1 and 0.5 mg mL-1) of methanolic extract and its subfractions through MTT
assay [3-(4,5-dimethyl-thiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide]. Results revealed nhexane
and ethyl acetate fraction being the most potent against all test cancer cell lines
with higher IC50 values. Both fractions also exhibited the maximum reduction in the cell
viability in dose dependent manner. Preliminary results suggest the promising anticancer
potential of n-hexane and ethyl acetate S. tomentosa against lung A-549, hepatocellular
HepG2and urinary bladder EI-138 cell lines. Further studies are required to know the
mechanism(s) involved in the cell death.