Journal of Natural Sciences Research www.iiste.org ISSN 2224-3186 (Paper) ISSN 2225-0921 (Online) Vol.6, No.16, 2016 1 In Vitro Cytotoxic Effect of Aqueous Extract of Origanum Marjoram on AMN-3 Cell Line Fayhaa M. Khaleel 1 Areej SH. Hameed 1 Taghreed U. Mohammd 2 1 Chemistry Department, College of Science for Women, Baghdad University, Iraq 2 Chemistry Department,College of Education for Pure Science, Ibn Al-Haitam, Baghdad University, Iraq Abstract The genus Origanum consist of different aromatic and medicinal plants some of which are used in folk medicine and as food additives since ancient time. This study amid to evaluate the potential anticancer activity of Origanum majorana (marjoram) (O. marjorana) on the cancer cell lines AMN-3. This study shows that O.marjorana aqueous extract has anticancer potential and can be explored futher for active component isolation, identifaction and characterization. Keywords: Origanum marjorana, Anticancer, Cytotoxic. Introduction Cancer is one of the leading causes of death in the world. Several chemotherapeutic, cytotoxic and immunomodulating agents are available in western medicine to treat cancer [1]. Medicinal plants are frequently used by traditional healers to treat a variety of aliments and symptoms including diabetes and cancer. Over 50% of drugs in clinical trials for anticancer activity were isolated from natural plants sources [2]. The genus Origanum (Oregano), an Important genus of the Lamiaceae family, is widespread throughout the world, comprosing about 900 species [3]. (Figure1). Figure 1: Aerial parts of Origanum majorana L.[4] Origanum majorana commonly known as marjoram, it is utilized as a spice and flavoring agent, and in traditional medicine as well for the treatment of chest, infection, cough, sore throat, rheumatic pain, nervous disorder, stomach disorders, cardiovascular diseases, and skin care. There is increasing evidence that O.majorana possess extensive range of biological activity, including antioxidant, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and hepatoprotective activities [5-9]. Recently, we have shown that Origanum majorana suppresses the growth of the triple negative MDA- MB-231 breast cancer cell by causing cell cycle arrest and apoptpsis [10]. However, its effect against tumor invasion and metastasis is largely unknown. In this study, we investigated the antitumor effects of O. majorana on AMN-3 cell line in vitro. Materials and Methods Collection of the plant material The herbal parts of O. majroana were collected from Iraqi market in Baghdad on 2015. Preparation of O. majroana extract Extracts of air –dried plant materials were prepared by using water as solvent. Aportion (25 g) of dried plant material from O. majroana was extracted with (250mL) deionized water in a soxhlet apparatus during 6 hr. After brought to you by CORE View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk provided by International Institute for Science, Technology and Education (IISTE): E-Journals