Nur Syakila et al. Int. Res. J. Pharm. 2020, 11 (12) 1 INTERNATIONAL RESEARCH JOURNAL OF PHARMACY www.irjponline.com ISSN 2230 – 8407 Review Article A REVIEW ON CYTOTOXIC ACTIVITY OF (GARCINIA COWA ROXB.): POTENTIAL AS AN ANTICANCER Nur Syakila, Aried Eriadi *, Dwi Dinni Aulia Bakhtra, Ridho Asra School of Pharmaceutical Science (STIFARM) Padang, Indonesia *Corresponding Author Email: aried.eriadi@gmail.com Article Received on: 04/12/20 Approved for publication: 31/12/20 DOI: 10.7897/2230-8407.1112100 ABSTRACT Cancer is a disease of abnormal body tissue cells that turn malignant. From the data, it can be seen that new cases and the death rate from cancer continues to increase every year so that efforts are made in the search for new anticancer agents for the prevention and treatment of cancer. There are many natural ingredients that can be used for its benefits, one of which is the Asam Kandis plant (Garcinia cowa Roxb.) This plant is rich in phytochemicals. It can be an important source of natural cytotoxic compounds and has potential as an anticancer. The analysis showed that the extract or compound from the roots, bark, twigs, leaves, and fruit rind of Asam Kandis (Garcinia cowa Roxb.) has good cytotoxic activity and is active against cancer cell lines so that it can help in the development of cancer therapy. Keywords: cytotoxic, Garcinia cowa Roxb, anticancer, cancer cells. INTRODUCTION Cancer is a disease of abnormal body tissue cells that turn malignant. These cells undergo uncontrolled proliferation like normal cells, so that they can grow and divide faster and can metastasize to other parts of the body and can cause death 1 . Based on data from the Global Cancer Observatory (GLOBOCAN), 18.1 million new cases and 9.6 million deaths were reported in 2018 2 . Based on data on cases and mortality rates that increase every year, several researchers are making efforts to find new anticancer agents. There are many natural ingredients in the world that can be used for their properties, one of which can be found in Indonesia, which is located in the tropics, Indonesia has a diversity of flora and fauna that can be used for the prevention and treatment of cancer. Cytotoxic tests of various plants that have the potential to act as anticancer have been carried out, one of the plants that can be used is (Garcinia cowa Roxb.) or known by the people of West Sumatra by the name of asam kandis, Garcinia cowa belongs to the Clusiaceae family 3 . Several studies of asam kandis (Garcinia cowa Roxb.) showed cytotoxic activity both in vivo and in vitro, cytotoxic is a compound or substance that can inhibit or kill the growth of certain cancer cells 4 . Apart from cytotoxic activity, the results of previous studies also showed that asam kandis (Garcinia cowa Roxb.) has antidiabetic 5 , antioxidant, antimutagenic 6 , antibacterial 7,8,9 and anti-inflammatory activities 10 . It is hoped that the explanation from this review can increase knowledge and can contribute to the development of anticancer drugs from natural ingredients. METHODS Data Collection In compiling this review article, the technique used was literature studies by finding sources or literature in the form of books, national and international journals in the last 10 years (2010- 2020). Also, in making this review article, the data search using online media was done with the keywords as follows: cytotoxic activity of Garcinia cowa Roxb. The search for main references in this review article was conducted through trusted websites such as ScienceDirect, Researchgate, Google Scholar, Pubmed, Sci- hub and other reliable journal publications. DISCUSSION Cytotoxic activity on the roots of Garcinia cowa Roxb The initial screening to search for anticancer compounds is a positive correlation to determine its potential as an anticancer. The active compound from the ethyl acetate fraction of the root of asam kandis (Garcinia cowa Roxb.) has been isolated as a flavonoid compound in the form of light-yellow crystals. Based on spectrometer data, it is suspected that the compound is Hegoflavone (B) with the molecular formula C30H20O11. Cytotoxic activity testing was carried out using the Brine Shrimps method. Brine Shrimps method is one of the initial methods for cytotoxic testing using shrimp larvae Artemia salina Leach was used as experimental animals by looking at the LCv50 value. Testing the ethyl acetate fraction and Hegoflavone (B) from the garcinia cowa compounds root showed LC50 values of 37.325 μg / ml and 1.95 μg / ml. These findings indicate ethyl acetate fraction and Hegoflavone (B) compounds have active activity against the toxicity of Brine Shrimps 11 .