Ornamental flowers have been traditionally used for the treatment of different ailments such as pain, inflammation, dandruff, dermatitis, hair growth and scabies. The present study was aimed to investigate the phytochemical and cytotoxic activity of aqueous and chloroform extracts of various ornamental flowers (Ixora coccinia, Allamanda cathartica, Hibuscus rosa-sinensis and Tecoma stans) against MCF-7 cell lines by using MTT assay. Preliminary phytochemical quantitative results indicate the presence of flavonoids equivalent to quercetin. Aqueous extrct of Allamanda cathartica (225.5 mg/g) and Tecoma stans (195 mg/g) was found to contain more amount of flavoniod in comparison to other aqueous extrcts and chloroform extracts. Dose dependent cytotoxicity and a significant i.e mean % inhibition and IC50 was observed in comparison to both tamoxifen and quercetin. aqueous extract of Allamanda cathartica and Tecoma stans showed cytotoxicity similar to quercetin. Flavoniods are responsible for cytotoxic activity of flower extracts. This study provides scientific support for the use of ornamental flowers as cytotoxic agents.
