Abstract BACKGROUND: Rasagandhi mezhugu (RGM), a Siddha medicine with 48 ingredients, is clinically used for malignancies. However, its complex composition limits scientific validation. This study evaluates the efficacy of the methanolic extract of the drug (mRGM) and serum metabolites after drug administration (SM-AD) in inhibiting cervical cancer cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis. METHODS: Bioactive compounds in RGM drug were identified using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry analysis. Its efficacy on cytotoxicity, cell morphology, migration, and apoptosis induction was assessed using MTT, in vitro scratch assay, AO/EtBr, and Annexin V staining, with each experiment performed in triplicate. Molecular docking studies were conducted to determine the underlying apoptotic pathways. RESULTS: Retusin (359 m/z) was identified as the major bioactive compound in mRGM and SM-AD. mRGM-treated HeLa cells exhibited reduced viability, with an IC 50 value of 183.567 µg/mL compared to 1.6375 µg/mL for cisplatin and induced morphological changes, including a decreased cell number with increasing concentration. Migration rates declined (mRGM: 36.5% to 31.5% and SM-AD: 52.4% to 45.2%) compared to control, while Blank-SM retained 61.9% to 84.3% migration after 24–48 h. Apoptosis values for mRGM: 64% and SM-AD: 59% with significantly higher fluorescence intensity ( P < 0.0001). In silico studies revealed that retusin forms a strong complex with alpha serine/threonine kinase 1 exhibiting a high binding energy of −8.9 kcal/mol forms a strong complex, surpassing Ipatasertib. CONCLUSION: The study findings are suggestive of RGM suppressing the cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis. However, further in vivo and clinical studies are required to confirm its efficacy and safety.
Sridharan et al. (Sat,) studied this question.