Antioxidant and cytotoxic properties of Combretum paniculatum and Fadogia agrestis extracts on prostate and cervical cancers cell lines

Abstract

The medicinal plants used in Burkina Faso are essential source of research for bioactive compounds against prostate and cervical cancer, which are major health problems in Burkina Faso and worldwide. This was done by hydro-acetic maceration of the powder of the leafy branches of Combretum paniculatum (C. paniculatum) and Fadogia agrestis (F. agrestis). These extracts were then fractionated using petroleum ether, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, and n-butanol. A phytochemical screening of these extracts was performed using High-Performance Thin Layer Chromatography (HPTLC). Antioxidant activity was evaluated using 2,2-Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH^∎) and 2'-Azino-Bis-3-Ethylbenzothiazoline-6-Sulfonic Acid (ABTS^∎+). The extracts cytotoxicity was assessed by the MTT (Mitochondrial Tetrazolium Test) method on the LNCaP cell lines of prostate cancer and HeLa of cervical cancer. Phytochemical analysis of extracts and fractions revealed the presence of tannins, flavonoids, and steroids in these plants. For antioxidant activity, the ethyl acetate fraction of F. agrestis and the n-butanol fraction of C. paniculatum gave the best inhibition of DPPH^∎ with IC50 values of 0.246 ± 0.045 and 0.097 ± 0.008 μg extract/mL, respectively. Using the ABTS^∎+ method, the ethyl acetate fractions of C. paniculatum (1.1009 ± 0.0181 μM ET/g) and F. agrestis (0.0316 ± 0.0007 μM ET/g) showed the best activity. In addition, the fractions of dichloromethane (DCM) of F. agrestis (IC50 = 24.69 ± 9.51 μg/ml) and ethyl acetate (AE) of F. agrestis (IC50 = 129.9 ± 6.49 μg/ml) had better activity, respectively on the prostate and cervical cancer LNCaP lines. These properties could justify the use of these plants in traditional medicine.