IN-VITRO EVALUATION OF THE ANTICANCER POTENTIAL OF IRUNELLI KARPAM, A CLASSICAL SIDDHA FORMULATION, AGAINST TRIPLE-NEGATIVE BREAST CANCER CELLS

Breast carcinoma continues to pose significant healthcare challenges globally, contributing substantially to oncological morbidity and mortality rates, thereby highlighting the urgent need for enhanced therapeutic strategies with improved safety profiles. Traditional Siddha medicine offers valuable resources for the development of potential anticancer compounds. Irunelli Karpam, a classical Siddha formulation composed of purified sulfur and Phyllanthus emblica Linn., was evaluated for its cytotoxic activity against the human triple-negative breast cancer cell line (MDA-MB-231) in-vitro. The formulation was tested at concentrations of 12.5–200 µg/mL using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The findings revealed a progressive decline in viability across the tested concentrations, from 94.61% (12.5 µg/mL) to 12.48% (200 µg/mL), yielding a calculated half-maximal inhibitory concentration of 47.17 µg/mL. Microscopic assessment identified the hallmark features of programmed cell death, including cellular contraction, spherical transformation, and loss of substrate adhesion. The current results demonstrate the substantial growth-inhibitory capacity of Irunelli Karpam against MDA-MB-231 cells which make it a complementary therapeutic agent, warranting further mechanistic studies, toxicity profiling, and preclinical validation.