Cytotoxic, Antimitotic, and Antiproliferation Studies on Rasam: A South Indian Traditional Functional Food

BACKGROUND: Rasam is a traditional South Indian food, prepared using tamarind juice as a base, with a variety of spices. Rasam, with all its ingredients medicinally claimed for various ailments, is a functional food. Systematic consumption of traditional functional food provides an excellent preventive measure to ward off many diseases. OBJECTIVE: To study rasam for cytotoxic, antimitotic, and antiproliferation potential beyond its culinary and nutritional effect. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Brine shrimp lethality assay, onion root tip inhibition assay, and 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay in Calu-6, HeLa, MCF-7 cell lines for four stage-wise samples in the preparation of rasam (RS1, RS2, RS3, and RS4) were studied. RESULTS: RS4, the end product of rasam showed high lethality with an LC(50) value of 38.7 μL/mL. It showed maximum antimitotic activity in a dose-dependent manner compared to other samples with an IC(50) value of 189.86 μL/mL. RS4 also showed an IC(50) value of 350.22 and 410.15 μL/mL in MCF-7 and Calu-6 cell lines, respectively. CONCLUSION: From this study, we suggest that rasam is a classic example of traditional functional food and it can treat breast and lung cancer on chronic use. SUMMARY: Rasam, a South Indian traditional functional food, showed high lethality (LC(50) = 38.7 mL/mL) against brine shrimps. Rasam also showed potential antimitotic activity (IC(50) = 189.86 mL/mL) by inhibiting the onion root tips. Rasam showed an IC(50) value of 350.22 and 410.15 mL/mL against MCF-7 and Calu-6 cell lines respectively. Rasam, when consumed on daily dietary basis, can treat breast and lung cancer. [Image: see text] Abbreviations used: SS 316: Stainless Steel 316 grade; MTT: 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide; DMEM: Dulbecco's modified Eagle medium; FBS: Fetal bovine serum media; TPVG: Trypsin phosphate versene glucose; EDTA: Ethylene diamine tetra acetic acid; PBS: Phosphate buffered saline; DMSO: Dimethyl sulfoxide.