Antiproliferative activity of Malus sylvestris Miller against HepG2 cell line with their antioxidant properties and phenolic composition

Abstract

Abstract Objectives The purpose of this study was to investigate the in vitro antiproliferative activities of Malus sylvestris Miller (MS) ethanolic and water extracts against HepG2 cells together with their antioxidant and phytochemical profiles. Methods The extracts’ antioxidant capacity was assessed by DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) and ABTS 2,2′-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid)) methods and the total phenolic and flavonoid contents were measured spectrophotometrically. The antiproliferative activities of extracts were tested via XTT colorimetric assay. The phenolic compounds in the extracts were analyzed using HPLC-DAD analysis. Results The most abundant phenolic compounds in both extract types were rutin, chlorogenic and gallic acid. In parallel to the phenolic composition, the ethanolic extracts showed the higher antioxidant activity, total phenolic and flavonoid content than the water extracts. The ethanolic extracts displayed 4.5-fold more antiproliferative activity than the water extracts against HepG2 cells. The IC50 values for the ethanolic and water extracts of MS were 0.86 and 3.95 mg/mL, respectively. Conclusions These results contributed to the understanding of the cytotoxic potential of MS. Since wild apple exhibited strong cytotoxic activity against HepG2 cells, it may be used as a natural agent to treat cancer and the further studies are needed to reveal the effects of wild apple on cancer.