Cytotoxicity of Sansevieria trifasciata leaves

Student Researchers: Dilig, John Rey R. , Franco, Maverick Allen M. , Giron, John Christian

Jerick , Magdaong, Reinhart D. , Salvador, Sean Ezekiel D.

Background of the Study

The demand of more herbal and alternative medicine keeps growing as people continue

to use different sources in the environment in finding immediate and low-cost remedies for

various diseases. In a study conducted in Germany by Welz, Emberket-Klein, and Menrad

(2018), treating illnesses was the most frequently discussed aim for using herbal medicine over

all age groups from different demoghrapics, yet although it is used mostly for treating mild to

moderate illnesses and participate were aware of its limits, the combination of self-medication,

non-expert consultation and missing risk awareness of herbal medicine is potentially harmful.

Sansevieria trifasciata also knows as Snake Plant, Mother-in-laws tongue and vipers

bowstring hemp is a species of flowering plant from family Asparagaceae (Johnson,2018).

According to Stuart (2019). S. trifasciata is a herbaceous, succulent, perennial plant, growing to

a height of 90 centimetres. Leaves form a basal rosette, are flat, thick, leathery, sword-shaped,

and variegated with greyish white transverse, markings, flowers are whitish green, up to 5

centimetres long. Studies including those performed by NASA, have consistently shown the

plant to remove toxins such as formaldehyde, xylene, toluene, and nitrogen oxides—which

means that industries and workspaces such as automotive plants and shops, aircraft plants,

plywood, carpeting, paint makers and sellers, printing, and offices, where these chemicals

abound in the products produced and used, would greatly benefit by keeping several snake plants
around. S. trifasciata which in South Africa and tropical America is used for the treatment of

inflammatory conditions and sold as a crude drug in the market to treat victims of snake bite

(Antunes et al., 2003). It is also used for the treatment of ear pain, swellings, boils and fever

(Anbu et al., 2009). Studies have also shown insecticidal, analgesic, antipyretic, air-purifying

properties (Stuart, 2019). Snake plants omits oxygen and reduces carbon dioxide even at night. It

has Crassulacean Acid Metabolism, the ability to do particular photosynthesis. In Feng Shui they

believed that snake plant contains luck because of its spiky figure (NASA,2018). The researchers

will conduct the study because of it’s common in nature and our environment, many people

come by this without knowing it’s use or the research conducted in this specific plant is too

complex and there are some speculations and findings without basis, that is why the researcher’s

came up with the idea by using cytotoxicity brine shrimp assay to see the lethality and safety of

the snake plant and to simplify it in order for the people to understand it better.

Cytotoxicity studies are useful initial step to know the potential toxicity of a certain

substances. It can be use in pharmaceutical and cosmetic preparation but this study has a crucial

role (McGaw, Elgorashi & Eloff, 2014). According to Sterilisation of biomaterials and medical

devices, 2012; the cytotoxicity is very important aspect, as destruction of healthy living cells

around the wound will have a negative impact on the healing process. In a nutshell, cell

cytotoxicity refers to the ability of a certain chemical or substances to destroy living cells

(Green,2012). According to Farghadani R. et al., Asian Pac J Cancer Prev. (2016), cytotoxicity

or killing tumor cells that divide rapidly is the basic function of chemotherapeutic drugs. It uses

cytotoxicity assays that are widely performed because the test compounds including plant-

derived extracts and purified compounds, may be intended for use of pharmaceuticals or

cosmetics, in which case minimal to no toxicity is important (McGaw, Elgorashi & Eloff, 2014).