Cyperus rotundus Linn. belongs to the family Cyperaceae, is commonly called ‘Nagar motha’. It is a multipotent traditional herbal medicine used worldwide for the treatment of a variety of diseases like diarrhea, skin disease, bowel abnormalities, menstrual irregularities etc. In the present study, the anti proliferative activity of aqueous extract of leaf of Cyperus rotundus on KB oral cancer cell lines were studied by MTT assay, comet assay and cell cycle analysis. The results of MTT showed significant cell death on dose dependent manner. The extent of DNA damage was evident from the number of comet bearing cells in treated sample. Cell cycle analysis by Flow cytometry confirmed, significant increase in S phase attributing to ‘S’ phase arrest of oral cancer cells. The gene expression studies by RT-PCR, shown significant effects on p53 and p21 regulatory genes. Further studies on bioactive compounds and mechanism can put forth the possibility of Cyperus rotundus extracts a potent anti-cancer drug in therapeutic regimen.

Keywords : Comet Assay, Cell Cycle, Anti Proliferative, Flow Cytometry.