title: Phytochemical analysis with free radical scavenging, nitric oxide inhibition and antiproliferative activity of Sarcocephalus pobeguinii extracts.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Free radicals have been implicated in the pathogenesis of diverse metabolic disorders including cancer. Therefore, fighting against free radicals has become an important strategy in the prevention or treatment of such diseases, in addition to direct or indirect anticancer chemotherapy. Sarcocephalus pobeguinii has been used traditionally to treat various diseases in which excess production of free radicals is implicated, warranting investigation of its free radical scavenging, anticancer and anti-inflammatory activity.
  
  
  METHODS
  In the present study, extracts from leaves, fruits, roots and bark of Sarcocephalus pobeguinii were evaluated on four human cancer cell lines (MCF-7, HeLa, Caco-2 and A549 cells) and a non-cancerous cell line for their antiproliferative potential. The cells were incubated with the plant extracts for 48 h at 37 °C in a 5% CO2humidified environment and their cytotoxic effect was determined using the tetrazolium-based colorimetric (MTT) assay. The radical inhibition was determined using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and the 2,2'-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS) scavenging techniques. The nitric oxide inhibitory activity was determined using LPS-activated RAW 264.7 macrophages. The correlation between radical scavenging capacity and antiproliferative activity was also analysed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The extract from leaves of Sarcocephalus pobeguinii (LSP) exhibited the highest cytotoxic effect on all four of the human cancer cell lines but with some cytotoxicity to the normal Vero cells. However, the LSP extract had the best selectivity index, ranging from 3.15 to 18.28. Also, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory assays indicated that the LSP extract had the highest radical scavenging capacity of all the extracts. A positive linear correlation was found between free radical scavenging ability and antiproliferative activity against the four cancer cell lines, with the highest correlation factor (R2= 0.9914) obtained between DPPH inhibition and antiproliferative activity against A549 cells.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The high selectivity index of the Sarcocephalus pobeguinii leaf extract indicates the potential of using this extract in cancer therapy. Furthermore, the positive correlation between free radical scavenging and antiproliferative activity suggests that the radical scavenging capacity of extracts may contribute to a prediction of their anticancer property.
authors.affiliation: Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X04, Onderstepoort, Pretoria, 0110, South Africa. mfotiefr@yahoo.fr.|Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon. mfotiefr@yahoo.fr.
authors.forename: Emmanuel
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1163-7202
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mfotie Njoya
authors.affiliation: Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Aristide Mfifen
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Munvera
authors.affiliation: Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Pierre
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Mkounga
authors.affiliation: Department of Organic Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Yaoundé I, P.O. Box 812, Yaoundé, Cameroon.
authors.forename: Augustin Ephrem
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Nkengfack
authors.affiliation: Department of Paraclinical Sciences, Faculty of Veterinary Science, University of Pretoria, Private Bag X04, Onderstepoort, Pretoria, 0110, South Africa.
authors.forename: Lyndy Joy
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: McGaw
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D018938:Caco-2 Cells; D002163:Cameroon; D049109:Cell Proliferation / Q000187:drug effects; D002522:Chlorocebus aethiops; D004354:Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers / Q000302:isolation & purification / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006367:HeLa Cells; D006801:Humans; D051379:Mice; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D064209:Phytochemicals; D010936:Plant Extracts / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal; D000067996:RAW 264.7 Cells; D019666:Rubiaceae / Q000737:chemistry*; D014709:Vero Cells
chemical_list: D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D016166:Free Radical Scavengers; D064209:Phytochemicals; D010936:Plant Extracts; D009569:Nitric Oxide
keywords: Anti-inflammatory; Antioxidant; Cancer; Sarcocephalus pobeguinii; Selective cytotoxicity