antineoplastic effect of fenugreek (trigonella foenum graecum) seed extract against acute myeloblastic leukemia cell line (kg-1)

background: treatment of cancer patients using conventional chemotherapy causes serious side effects and, at best, merely extends the patient’s lifespan by a few years. the potential of alternative therapies may therefore be of great benefit in cancer control. the effect of trigonella foenum graecum seed extract has been previously reported on some neoplastic cells. here, its effect is evaluated on human acute myeloblastic leukemia cell lines. materials and methods: the cell line kg-1 was treated with various concentrations of fenugreek seeds extract with various durations. cellular enumeration, viability test, staining and light microscopy, and apoptosis induction were evaluated. results: results showed significant cytotoxic effect of fenugreek seeds extract against this cell line which resulted in growth inhibition, cell death and morphological changes. apoptosis induction was not considerable. fenugreek seeds extract did not change the count and morphology of normal lymphocytes. conclusion: applying herbal medicines could be an effective and safe treatment for leukemia. to our knowledge, this is the first study that suggests significant chemotherapeutic effects of fenugreek seeds against these cell lines.