Cytotoxic assay
The cytotoxic activities (IC50) of Penicillium sp. extract against five cancer cell lines were
investigated. To assess the effect of ethyl acetate extract on cancer cell proliferation, a simple assay
by cell counting method was used. The ethyl acetate extract of Penicillium sp. demonstrated a
promising activity against HeLa, A431 and human breast cancer (MCF7) (95, 125 and 275μg/mL
respectively), while that for HepG2 and A549 the IC50 was not cytotoxic at the tested
concentrations (up to 1,000μg/mL). Thus, the isolate may have potential as antitumour drugs and
require further study.