Dichloromethane Fraction of Vernonia Amygdalina Delile Enhances the Cytotoxicity of Doxorubicin Against Triple-Negative Breast Cancer (TNBC) Cells Through Apoptosis Induction and Cell Cycle Modulation

Doxorubicin (Dox) is a chemotherapeutic agent commonly used to treat nonspecific cancer types, including triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). Owing to its toxicity to normal cells, Dox is usually combined with another agent that increases anticancer potency or reduces adverse effects. This study investigated the potential of African bitter leaf (Vernonia amygdalina Delile) extracts in combination with Dox to increase cytotoxicity against TNBC cells by modulating cell cycle and inducing apoptosis. The MTT cell viability assay on 4T1 and MDA-MB-231 cells confirmed that only the dichloromethane (DCM) fraction showed cytotoxic activity on both cells at a low grade. The DCM fraction increased the cytotoxic activity of Dox in 4T1 cells. The synergistic effect of DCM and Dox correlated with their activities in cell cycle modulation to accumulate cells in the sub-G1 phase and considerably induced apoptosis. In conclusion, the DCM fraction is a potential co-chemotherapeutic agent for Dox to suppress TNBC cell growth through apoptosis induction. © © 2025 by Indonesian Journal of Pharmacy (IJP.