Phytochemical screening and anticancer activity of the aerial parts extract of Xanthium strumarium L. on HepG2 cancer cell line

Abstract

Cancer is one of the most considerable concerns because of increasing the death rate all over the world. Recent studies have disclosed that plant extracts exhibit anticancer activity through various mechanisms. Xanthium strumarium has been used by Vietnamese in herbal medicines to support the medication of infirmities. This study is to consider the secondary metabolites, antioxidant and anticancer capacities of extract from the aerial parts (stems and leaves) of X. strumarium (AP-XS). AP-XS was analyzed for the presence of phytochemicals via qualitative chemical tests and determined total polyphenol and flavonoid contents. DPPH (1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) quenching assay and sulforhodamine B (SRB) assay were selected to investigate antioxidant capacity and anti-proliferative activity, respectively. Besides, acridine orange-ethidium bromide (AO-EB) dual staining was applied to evaluate the ability to induce apoptosis on HepG2 cancer cells. Results of present study indicated that AP-XS contains the main phytochemicals such as flavonoids, tannins, saponins, alkaloids, and triterpenes. Ethanol extract had highest content of polyphenol (84.86 mg gallic acid equivalent/g dry mass), and exhibited the great total antioxidant property (IC50 = 184.13 μg/mL) and anti-proliferative activity on HepG2 cancer cells (IC50 = 81.69 μg/mL). Furthermore, the characteristics of apoptosis including shrinkage of the cell and apoptotic bodies were found following 60 h of AP-XS extract treatment through AO-EB dual staining. The data suggest that AP-XS extract had antioxidant potential and anti-proliferative effect. The anti-proliferative property was considered to have an association with a rising of apoptosis. These results were reliable for further research on X. strumarium as a source of phytochemicals with anticancer activity potential for cancer therapeutics.