title: Anticancer and antioxidant activities of methanol extracts and fractions of some Cameroonian medicinal plants.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To obtain a scientific basis of the use of plant-derived preparations by many rural people in Cameroon, for their primary health care needs in the treatment of diseases such as cancer.
  
  
  METHODS
  The antiproliferative effect of 11 plants methanol crude extracts on four cancer cells using sulforhodamine-B assay and their antioxidant activities using 1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl radical and nitric oxide radical scavenging ability were investigated. The Ekebergia senegalensis (E. senegalensis) and Protea elliotii (P. elliotii) extracts were selected based on their antioxidant and anticancer activities, and partition in hexane, dichloromethane, ethyl acetate, butanol and methanol was done. Each fraction was submitted to antioxidant and anticancer activities, and the effect of the dichloromethane fraction (the most antiproliferative fraction) on NCI-H460 cell cycle was determined by flow cytometry.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The most antiproliferative substances were found for the extracts from E. senegalensis, P. elliotii, Terminalia macroptera and Vitellaria paradoxa. Whereas the most antioxidant substances were found for the extracts from Cissus populnea, E. senegalensis, P. elliotii, Terminalia macroptera, Vitellaria paradoxa, and Gardenia aqualla. Dichloromethane fraction of P. elliotii was found to be highly antiproliferative to NCI-H460 cancer cells and showed S phase arrest cell cycle progression. Ethyl acetate n-butanol and methanol fractions showed quite strong antioxidant activity for both E. senegalensis and P. elliotii, as compared to that of gallic acid.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Overall, the antiproliferative and antioxidant activities of some of the extracts lend some support to their use in the traditional medicine of Adamawa Region, Cameroon to treat cancer.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Dschang, P.O. Box 67, Dschang, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Richard Simo
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Tagne
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Dschang, P.O. Box 67, Dschang, Cameroon. Electronic address: bphelix@yahoo.co.uk.
authors.forename: Bruno Phelix
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Telefo
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Ngaoundere, P.O. Box 454, Ngaoundere, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Jean Noel
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Nyemb
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Dschang, P.O. Box 67, Dschang, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Didiane Mefokou
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Yemele
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Dschang, P.O. Box 67, Dschang, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Sylvain Nguedia
authors.initials: SN
authors.lastname: Njina
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Dschang, P.O. Box 67, Dschang, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Stéphanie Marie Chekem
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Goka
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Dschang, P.O. Box 67, Dschang, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Landry Lienou
authors.initials: LL
authors.lastname: Lienou
authors.affiliation: Department of Biomedical Sciences, University of Ngaoundere, P.O. Box 454, Ngaoundere, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Armel Hervé
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Nwabo Kamdje
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, University of Yaounde 1, P.O. Box 812, Yaounde, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Paul Fewou
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Moundipa
authors.affiliation: International Center for Chemical and Biological Sciences, University of Karachi, 75270 Karachi, Pakistan.
authors.forename: Ahsana Dar
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Farooq
keywords: Medicinal plants; anticancer; antioxidant; cell cycle