Comparative evaluation of antioxidant and anticancer properties of Ocimum tenuiflorum and Catharanthus roseus

Plants possess a remarkable ability to produce a wide range of secondary metabolites, many of which serve as potent antioxidants and anticancer agents. India, being rich in medicinal plant biodiversity, holds immense untapped potential in this field. Cancer remains one of the leading causes of mortality globally, with brain tumors in India showing an incidence rate of 5 to 10 per 100,000 population and a rising trend. The present study explores the antioxidant and anticancer properties of plant extracts i.e. Ocimum tenuiflorum (Krishna Tulsi) and Catharanthus roseus (Periwinkle). Reactive oxygen species (ROS), which are harmful by-products of normal aerobic metabolism, contribute significantly to cancer development. Antioxidants act as scavengers of these free radicals. The antioxidant potential of the plant extracts was evaluated using the phosphomolybdenum assay. The results revealed that C. roseus exhibited an antioxidant activity of 28 µg/ml ascorbic acid equivalent (AAE), while O. tenuiflorum showed activity at 23 µg/ml. To assess preliminary anticancer potential, the in vitro antimitotic activity of the extracts was tested using the Allium cepa root tip assay. The methanolic extract of O. tenuiflorum demonstrated stronger antimitotic activity compared to C. roseus, with observable mitotic abnormalities such as cell fragmentation, receding cell contents, and necrosis indicating its ability to inhibit cell proliferation in cancerous tissues.Further cytotoxic studies were conducted on glioma cells, where both plant extracts induced cell death. Dye exclusion tests comparing the extracts with cyclophosphamide on white blood cells (WBCs) showed that both extracts were cytotoxic to WBCs but less so than cyclophosphamide. Ocimum tenuiflorum, particularly and Catharanthus roseus exhibit antioxidant and preliminary anticancer activities, warranting further investigation for selective, safe anticancer applications.