Capparis cartilaginea Decne. as a natural source of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer herbal drug

Abstract

BackgroundCapparis cartilaginea Decne.(C. cartilaginea Decne.) a medicinally important plant that belongs to the family Capparaceae. Traditionally the fruit, leaf, and root have been believed to show anti-inflammatory effects and can also be used as agents. PurposeThe objective of this study is to investigate the chemical compositions, in-vitro antioxidant, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory activities of the ethanolic extract of Capparis cartilaginea Decne. leaves. Study methodsThe chemical compounds were investigated by Gas Chromatography–Mass Spectrometry (GC–MS) analysis. Ferric-bipyridine reducing capacity of total antioxidants (FBRC), Ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) were utilized to determine antioxidant activity. The cytotoxic activity was evaluated using a 3-[4,5-dimethylthiazole- 2-yl]-2,5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. Additionally, in vitro anti-inflammatory activity of the ethanolic extract of C. cartilaginea Decne. leaves using COX1 and protein denaturation methods. ResultsThe major twenty- four bioactive compounds from fifty compounds were identified including alkaloids, flavonoids, phenols, fatty acids, and carotenes. Pleiocarpamine was the major constituent of the extract (73.07 %). Additionally, in vitro anti-inflammatory activity of the ethanolic extract of C. cartilaginea Decne. leaves using COX1 and protein denaturation methods showed a strong effect with IC50 values of 60.23 and 17.67 µg/mL respectively, compared to Indomethacin and Diclofenac as a standard anti-inflammatory drug.; while FBRC and FRAP were utilized to determine antioxidant activity slowed high antioxidants capacity with values 0.056 ± 0.001and 0.03 ± 0.00196 Ascorbic acid equivalent/g of extract (AAE) and DPPH radical scavenging method show IC50 value 10 ± 1 %. Evaluation of the cytotoxic activity against three human cancer cell lines colon carcinoma cells HCT-116, Breast carcinoma cells MCF-7, and human muscle Rhabdomyosarcoma RD cell line using MTT assay showed a significant effect with IC50 values 59.58 ± 1.5, 39.14 ± 3.09, and 102 ± 8.75 µg/mL, compared to Vinblastine Sulfate as a standard cytotoxic drug. Yemeni C. cartilaginea Decne. showed a higher effect on MCF-7 compared to Iranian C. cartilaginea Decne. as well as established a higher antioxidant activity than that extracts obtained from Jordan. ConclusionEthanolic leaves extract of C. cartilaginea Decne. have the potential for development as therapeutic agents for cytotoxicity on certain cancer cells following further investigation. C. cartilaginea Decne. leaves that could have medicinal values and application in industries, were used to design the drug for the treatment of various types of inflammatory diseases.