Antioxidant and antiproliferative activity of Portulaca Oleracea and Azanza Garckeana on cervical cancer

Background: Mortality and incidence rates of cervical cancer are on the rise in Sub-Saharan Africa. Current cervical cancer management strategies are not fully effective as they bring about major side effects and issues such as drug resistance. Indigenous plants have been used in ethnomedicine to treat conditions related to cancer. Aim: The present study was aimed at evaluating the antioxidant and anti-proliferation potential of extracts derived from Portulaca oleracea and Azanza garckeana plants. Methods: Phytochemicals were extracted from all plant parts of the two plants with methanol, ethanol, chloroform, distilled water, isopropanol and hexane. Qualitative phytochemical analysis was conducted. The total phenolic and flavonoid content were estimated, and antioxidant activity was determined using DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazyl) and ABTS (2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6- sulfonic acid) assays. The antiproliferative activity of extracts on HeLa cells was analysed with 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT). Results: P. oleracea and A. garckeana stem and leaf methanolic extract had high total phenolic content between 14.25 and 16.39 TE mg/100 g and flavonoid content between 41.70 and 52.03 QE mg/100 g. Methanolic and ethanolic extracts displayed anti-proliferative activity towards HeLa cells used in study and the extracts affected cell viability in a dose dependent fashion ranging between 69 and 92% reduction in cell viability at 400 µg/ml extract concentration. The IC ₅₀ values of extracts ranged between 242.09 and 329.31 µg/mL and 22.78 µg/mL ± 10.37 for cisplatin. Conclusions: Portulaca oleracea and Azanza garckeana demonstrate anti-proliferative and antioxidant activity, which indicate the potential of these plants in anticancer drug development.