Tapak dara (Catharanthus roseus [L].G.Don) merupakan tanaman herbal yang keberadaannya tersebar cukup luas dan memiliki 2 varietas albus dan roseus di Indonesia. Tapak dara mengandung lebih dari 100 jenis alkaloid, sehingga dapat dimanfaatkan sebagai antikanker khususnya pada testicular teratoma, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, dan leukemia sel T. Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk melihat efek sitotoksisitas dan kemampuan daun tapak dara putih dan daun tapak dara ungu untuk menginduksi apoptosis pada sel HeLa berdasarkan ekspresi procaspase-3, bentuk inaktif dari caspase-3. Daun tapak dara diekstrak menggunakan akuades, etanol 96%, dan kloroform. Kemudian dilakukan uji sitotoksisitas ekstrak untuk mengetahui nilai IC50, menggunakan metode MTT assay. Setelah didapatkan nilai IC50, penelitian dilanjutkan dengan mendeteksi level procaspase-3 dengan metode Western blotting, dan menggunakan konsentrasi ekstrak sama dengan nilai IC50 dan 2 x IC50. Hasil menunjukkan bahwa, ekstrak kloroform daun tapak dara ungu memiliki nilai IC50 sebesar 188,949 μg/mL, sedangkan tapak dara putih 201,371 μg/mL. Secara umum, semua ekstrak tapak dara bersifat sitotoksik moderat. Deteksi ekspresi dengan. ekstrak kloroform tapak dara putih dan ungu terbukti mampu menurunkan level procaspase-3, sehingga diduga mampu menginduksi apoptosis pada sel HeLa dengan masa inkubasi 48 jam.

Perwinkle (Catharanthus roseus [L]. G.Don) is an herbal plant which widely spread in Indonesia. It has 2 varieties that is albus (white flower) and roseus (purple flower). Recent studies showed that perwinkle contains more than 100 types of indole alkaloids, thus has high potentiality as anticancer in testicular teratoma, Hodgkin’s lymphoma, leuchemic T-cell and ovarian cancer. Vincristine is one of perwinkle’s alkaloids thas has ability to induce apoptosis by activation of p53 gene. Objective of this study is examine the cytotoxicity effects and ability of white and purple perwinkle leaves to induce apoptosis in HeLa cells, based on expression of procaspase-3, the inactive form of caspase-3 (executioner caspase). Perwinkle leaves was extracted in chloroform, then cytotoxicity assay of extract was determined by IC50 values using the MTT assay method. After we got IC50 value, we analyzed the expression of procaspase-3 by Western blotting method and used concentration of extract equal with IC50 and 2 times IC50 value as treatment. Result showed that IC50 values of purple and white perwinkle leaves extract was 188.949 μg/mL and 201.37 μg/mL respectively. Hence, periwinkle leaves extract have moderate level of cytotoxicity for HeLa cell. Furthermore, the expression of procaspase-3 decreased after 48 hour treated with perwinkle leaves extract. It possibly that procaspase-3 already activated into caspase-3 which was executor of apoptosis. It can be concluded that both varieties of perwinkle (albus and roseus) have ability to induce apoptosis.

Kata Kunci : tapak dara, sitotoksik, sel HeLa, procaspase-3