Abstract A popular polyherbal formulation prepared from five plants (PHF5) may have anticancer effects. However, there is a lack of adequate scientific evidence. We assessed the anticancer, antioxidant, and acute toxicity effects of PHF5. Cancer cells were treated with 0 to 300 μg/mL PHF5 extract. Established assays were used to assess cytotoxicity, apoptosis, and radical scavenging activities. In the acute toxicity study, mice were administered a single oral dose (2,000 mg/kg) of PHF5, and biochemical and histopathological parameters were assessed. The IC50 values of PHF5 on LoVo, HepG2, MCF-7, and MDA-MB 231 cells were 71.8, 64.8, 45.3, and 47.3 μg/mL, respectively. Fluorescence staining demonstrated that PHF5 induced MCF-7 cell apoptosis. After 48 h, the percentage of late apoptotic cells increased significantly compared with the control cells (74.16 ± 0.64 vs 3.7 ± 2.05, P < 0.05). No mortality or behavioral alterations were observed in mice treated with a single dose (2,000 mg/kg) of PHF5, indicating that the LD50 value exceeded 2,000 mg/kg. However, histopathological changes were observed in the liver tissues. PHF5 has potential as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of human carcinoma. Further safety data will be necessary before clinical use.

中文翻译：

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沙特多草药制剂 PHF5 的抗癌、抗氧化和急性毒性研究

摘要 一种流行的由五种植物制成的多草制剂（PHF5）可能具有抗癌作用。然而，缺乏足够的科学证据。我们评估了 PHF5 的抗癌、抗氧化和急性毒性作用。癌细胞用 0 至 300 μg/mL PHF5 提取物处理。已建立的测定用于评估细胞毒性、细胞凋亡和自由基清除活性。在急性毒性研究中，给小鼠单次口服剂量 (2,000 mg/kg) 的 PHF5，并评估了生化和组织病理学参数。PHF5 对 LoVo、HepG2、MCF-7 和 MDA-MB 231 细胞的 IC50 值分别为 71.8、64.8、45.3 和 47.3 μg/mL。荧光染色表明PHF5诱导MCF-7细胞凋亡。48 小时后，与对照细胞相比，晚期凋亡细胞的百分比显着增加（74.16 ± 0.64 vs 3.7 ± 2.05，P < 0.05）。在用单剂量 (2,000 mg/kg) PHF5 治疗的小鼠中未观察到死亡率或行为改变，表明 LD50 值超过 2,000 mg/kg。然而，在肝组织中观察到组织病理学变化。PHF5 具有作为治疗人类癌症的治疗剂的潜力。临床使用前需要进一步的安全性数据。PHF5 具有作为治疗人类癌症的治疗剂的潜力。在临床使用前需要进一步的安全性数据。PHF5 具有作为治疗人类癌症的治疗剂的潜力。临床使用前需要进一步的安全性数据。