Anticancer Activity of Phyllanthus Niruri Linn Extract in Colorectal Cancer Patients: A phase II Clinical Trial

Phyllanthus niruri Linn (PNL) is a folk medicine that believed to exhibit anticancer effect. Granzyme, one of serine proteases produced by cytotoxic-T-lymphocytes (CTL) and natural killer cells (NK cells), is suggested as a prognostic marker of cancer. This study aimed to assess the effect of PNL extract on colorectal cancer cells growth by measuring granzyme expression. An experimental study utilized pre- and post-treatment design was conducted in Dr. Kariadi General Hospital, Semarang, Indonesia from May to July 2016. Hospitalized colorectal cancer patients were administrated with daily oral PNL extract for 14 days. Granzyme expressions before and post-treatment were measured using immunohistochemical staining technique. The difference of granzyme expression was analyzed using paired t-test. Fifteen patients with colorectal cancer were enrolled in this study. The mean granzyme expression of pre- and post-treatment was 25.46%±4.82% and 65.71%±7.91%, respectively. There was a significant increase of granzyme expression in post-treatment compared to pre-treatment group, p