Many drugs commonly used today are of herbal origin. Some are made from plant extracts and most of them are synthesized artificially to mimic the natural compound.Wheatgrass (Triticum aestivum L.) is one of the most widely used health foods, but its functional groups and mechanisms remain unidentified. Wheat germinated over a period of 8-12 days is generally called wheatgrass. During germination, vitamins, minerals, and phenolic compounds including flavonoids are synthesized in wheat sprouts. Qualitative phytochemical analysis of this plant confirms the presence of various phytochemicals like alkaloids, flavonoids, tannins, terpenoids, steroids, and glycosides in their ethanolic leaves extract. The present investigation, we examined the phytochemical and cytotoxic effect of ethanolic extract from Trticum aestivum on A549 cell line in vitro. In order to determine the cytotoxic effects we used an MTT viability assay. The results showed that cell growth is significantly lower in extract treated cells compared to untreated control. Based on the results it is determined that Wheat grass is a significant source of biologically active substances that have cytotoxic activity in vitro. The present study was designed to evaluate relative contribution of different phytochemicals and anticancer effect in ethanol extract of wheat grass.
