Abstract
Background: Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) remains a leading cause of mortality related to cancer, with limited therapeutic choices and a poor prognosis. Naturally derived compounds represent a promising avenue for the discovery of novel selective anticancer agents. Tradescantia zebrina Bosse, a member of the Commelinaceae family, is an ornamental herb with reported ethnopharmacological uses and is rich in lipophilic phytochemicals with cytotoxic potential to be explored. The aim was to characterize the phytochemical profile of the n-hexane extract of T. zebrina by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS) and to evaluate its in vitro cytotoxic activity against KYSE-30 esophageal cancer cells and HEK-293 non-malignant immortalized cells.
Methods: Dried whole-plant powder (100 g) was subjected to Soxhlet extraction using n-hexane, yielding 1.62g (1.62% w/w). GC-MS analysis was performed to characterize the phytochemical profile of the plant. Cytotoxicity was evaluated by the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay at different concentrations using cisplatin as a positive control.
Results: GC-MS revealed the presence of various constituents, including phytosterols, triterpenes, and unsaturated fatty acids. The extract exhibited concentration-dependent cytotoxicity against KYSE-30 and showed lower toxicity toward HEK-293 than toward KYSE-30.
Conclusion: The n-hexane extract of T. zebrina demonstrated in vitro concentration-dependent cytotoxicity toward KYSE-30 esophageal cancer cells and lower cytotoxicity toward the HEK-293 comparator cell line. This observed activity may be associated with the bioactive compounds tentatively identified by GC-MS.
| Has the manuscript been published | not published |
|---|---|
| Intend to be published in the IJPS ? | Yes |
