An In-Vitro Study of the Antioxidant and Anticancer Potential of Cardiospermum Halicacabum (Linn.) on Human Hepatocellular Carcinoma (Hepg2) Cells

Abstract

Background: The medicinal plants are rapidly gaining reputation due to the numerous pharmacologic effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the different solvent extracts of Cardiospermum halicacabum on phytochemical constituents of total phenolic, flavonoid content, antioxidant and antiproliferation activity against HepG2 Cell Line.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to examine the in-vitro antioxidant and anticancer as well as the phytochemical constituents of the different crude extracts of C. halicacabum L. leaves.

Methods & Materials: The total phenolic and flavonoid contents were analyzed by Folin Ceocalteu method and Aluminium Colorimetric method respectively. The antioxidant activity of the extracts was determined by using DPPH and Nitric oxide radical scavenging assay. MTT assay was used to estimate the antiproliferative activity of the extracts against HepG2 Cell Line.

Results: The ethanol extract of C. halicacabum exhibited the highest total phenolic (72.58±0.63 mg of GAE/g extract) and total flavonoid content (50.65±0.88 mg of QE/g extract). The hexane and ethanol extracts showed significant and dose-dependent anti-oxidant effects with the IC₅₀ values of 48.43μg/mL and 51.73μg/mL by DPPH and 46.34 μg/mL and 48.95μg/mL respectively by nitric oxide scavenging assay. The ethanol and ethyl acetate leaf extracts were found to be cytotoxic in-vitro to HepG2 Cell Line with IC₅₀ values of 49.70 μg/mL and 51.12 μg/mL, respectively.

Conclusion: The present study concluded that the ethanolic and hexane extracts of C. halicacabum have significant antioxidant and anticancer activities. The potent antioxidant and anticancer activity of C. halicacabum might be due to the presence of phytochemicals.