Anticancer Activity of the Thai Herbal Formula “Kerra” Versus Afatinib and Doxorubicin In Vitro

One of the greatest challenges impeding the achievement of global health goals and afflicting millions of people each year is cancer. Prevailing cancer treatment options come with inherent risks, and significant adverse effects, and can result in financial burdens. Nowadays, many turn to alternative medicine, which have played an integral part in the treatment of a myriad of diseases especially when other approaches are ineffective or unable to be deployed. However, an opulent number of herbs seldom have reliable evidence derived from research to support their claims of phytochemical properties contributing to the alleviation of illnesses. Kerra is a Thai herbal formula that possesses immunomodulatory properties and anti-tumor activities which provides a safe, efficacious, and holistic treatment for cancer. Kerra offers therapeutic benefits without resulting in severe adverse effects, ameliorates overall welfare and quality of life for advanced care patients, and is cost-effective, allowing them to be vastly accessible for widespread use, particularly in areas facing disparities due to insufficient economic stability. This study explores the in vitro anticancer effect of the Kerra formula utilizing cytotoxicity assays on six cancer cell lines, compared to afatinib, a targeted therapy for non-small cell lung carcinoma, and doxorubicin, a chemotherapeutic agent. Anticancer activity was determined by 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and the half-maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) were calculated for the A431, A549, HepG2, HCT-116, NCI-H1975, MCF-7, and HeLa cell lines. Kerra showed the best effectiveness against HCT-116 and A431. The IC50 values showing inhibition of the growth of colorectal carcinoma (HCT-116 cell line) by Kerra, afatinib, and doxorubicin are 72.96, 3.574, and 63.39 µg/ml, respectively. The IC50 values for inhibition of epidermoid carcinoma (A431 cell line) by Kerra and afatinib are 96.1 and 2.449 µg/ml, respectively. The findings revealed the Kerra extract can inhibit the growth of different types of cancer cells. From our results, Kerra may be advantageous to use in conjunction with conventional cancer interventions, offer an economical solution, and improve the quality of life remarkably for end-stage cancer patients by mitigating severe adverse events.