Phytochemical profile and dual anticancer–antilipase activities of Rubus ulmifolius extracts from Jijel, Algeria

Abstract

This study evaluated the in vitro antiproliferative and antilipase activities of ethanolic and methanolic extracts from Rubus ulmifolius (Jijel, Algeria) against obesity-related colorectal cancer (CRC) cell lines (HT29, HCT116, SW620, CACO2, SW480) and primary human fibroblasts. Cells were treated for 72 h and viability was quantified by SRB assay. The ethanolic extract yielded IC₅₀ (μg mL-1, mean ± SD) values of 73.3 ± 9.9 (HT29), 106.8 ± 8.5 (HCT116), 240.2 ± 16.4 (SW620), 50.5 ± 5.2 (CACO2), 109.8 ± 3.7 (SW480), and 229.2 ± 16.8 (fibroblasts). The methanolic extract gave 121.2 ± 8.4 (HT29), 102.0 ± 3.9 (HCT116), 147.1 ± 10.3 (SW620), 26.2 ± 1.5 (CACO2), 95.0 ± 9.2 (SW480), and 157.3 ± 8.2 (fibroblasts), with activity in CACO2 meeting the NCI threshold for crude extracts (IC₅₀ < 30 μg mL-1). Cisplatin (positive control) showed IC₅₀ values of 19.72 ± 1.62 (HT29), 878.12 ± 105.4 (HCT116), 173.8 ± 21.0 (SW620), 175.41 ± 21.05 (CACO2), 26.9 ± 0.061 (SW480), and 1.52 ± 0.18 (fibroblasts), underscoring the relatively lower cytotoxicity of plant extracts toward normal cells. In pancreatic lipase assays, the ethanolic extract was more potent than the methanolic extract (IC₅₀ 30.2 ± 1.1 vs. 120.2 ± 8.8 μg mL-1), while orlistat gave 0.11 μg mL-1. HPLC-DAD-UV profiling identified rutin as the predominant phenolic (6.17–7.09 mg100 mg-1 extract). GC-MS indicated that the ethanolic extract was enriched in fatty acids (oleic acid 17.62%, Z-6-octadecenoic acid 15.36%, methyl linolenate 12.81%), whereas the methanolic extract was rich in monoterpenoids (carvacrol 35.87%, thymol 21.14%, o-cymene 8.74%). Collectively, these data suggest R. ulmifolius contains constituents with dual anti-CRC and antilipase potential and merits further bioassay-guided fractionation.