Abstract
Purpose: To evaluate the cytotoxic effect and antioxidant activity of bioassay-guided fractions from Malaysian species of Solanum nigrum . Methods: Methanol leaf and ethanol fruit extracts of Solanum nigrum were subjected to bioassay-guided fractionation using column chromatography. The semi-purified fractions were investigated for their in vitro cytotoxic effect against various cancer cell lines using 3-(4, 5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2, 5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay, and for antioxidant activity using 2, 2-diphenyl-1- picryhydrazyl (DPPH) assay. Results: From bioassay-guided fractionation, 13 and 17 fractions were obtained from the methanol leaf and ethanol fruit extracts, respectively. In MTT assay, fractions 1, 2 and 4 from methanol extract showed the highest cytotoxic effect against the cancer cells with IC 50 of 13.0 μg/mL at 48 h incubation. For the ethanol extract, fractions 14 and 15 showed the highest cytotoxic effect with IC 50 of 12.0 μg/mL against K-562 cells, while fractions 13, 14 and 17 showed IC 50 of 13.0 μg/mL against HeLa cells. Doxorubicin hydrochloride and vinblastine sulfate inhibited the cancer cells with IC 50 range of 1.3 to 17.0 μg/mL. The highest radical scavenging activity was exhibited by fraction 2 from methanol extract with ED 50 value of 0.10 mg/ml, while fraction 15 from ethanol extract showed ED 50 of 0.79 mg/mL. Ascorbic acid and α-tocopherol exhibited radical scavenging activity of 95.0 ± 0.01 % (ED 50 = 0.05 mg/mL) and 93.0 ± 0.01 % (ED 50 = 0.10 mg/mL), respectively. Conclusion: Solanum nigrum leaves and fruits are potential sources of cytotoxic and antioxidant agents. Keywords: Solanum nigrum , Cytotoxic Activity, Anti-oxidant Activity, Bioassay-guided Fractionation, Doxorubicin, Vinblastine
Highlights
Solanum nigrum is a medicinal plant from Solanaceae family and is usually cultivated in tropical and subtropical agro climatic regions
Fractions isolated from ethanol fruits extract inhibited K-562 and Hela cells at IC50 value of 12.0 μg/mL and 13.0 μg/mL, respectively
Based on the previous investigations on Solanum nigrum, it was reported that the secondary metabolites present are responsible for its antiproliferative activity
Summary
Solanum nigrum is a medicinal plant from Solanaceae family and is usually cultivated in tropical and subtropical agro climatic regions. This genus herb has been extensively used in traditional folk medicine to treat various diseases at different parts of the world such as South America, Europe and North America [1]. The plant is used as antitumourigenic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective and antipyretic agents the plant is a small green leaves spread around and grows in a diffused manner to an approximate height less than a metre [1] It exhibits soft arching branches and stems. The berries are green when young and turn to purple, brown or black when they become ripe [1]
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