Chemical Composition and Cytotoxic Activity of Methanol Extract and its Fractions of Streblus asper Leaves on Human Cancer Cell Lines

BACKGROUND: Streblus asper, family Moraceae is well-known important medicinal plant used in the Indian system of medicine. In Ayurveda, stem bark of S. asper is recommended against elephantiasis for which there is still no any other effective medicine in the modern system of medicine. OBJECTIVES: In the present work, methanol extract (SAM) and its fractions of S. asper leave tested for in vitro anticancer activity against cancer cell lines (MCF-7, A-549, Hep-G2, and K-562) which claims its folklore importance in cancer and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry identification of extracts was also performed. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Shade dried plant material was extracted with methanol and fractionated sequentially with hexane, chloroform, and butanol. RESULTS: All tested extracts found highly effective against human lung cancer cell line (A-549) with IC(50) <10 μg/mL. On Hep-G2 cancer cell line, only chloroform fraction are highly active with IC(50) <10 μg/mL. Methanol and hexane fraction showed potent anticancer activity on K-562 cancer cell line with IC(50) <10 μg/mL. CONCLUSION: Qualitative phytochemical analysis confirmed the presence of fatty acids, phytosterol, triterpenoids, polyol, sugar acid, aldehyde, diterpene, terpene, carboxylic compounds, acid and sugar in S. asper leaves extract. Topmost abundant compounds in SAM are α-D-glucopyranoside (10.60%), glycerol (7.96%), myo-inositol (4.90%), and butanedioic acid (3.30%). Hexane consists of the higher amount of hexadecanoic acid (18.07%), octadecanoic acid (7.39%), β-sitosterol (4.50%), and α-D-glucopyranoside (4.03%). Higher component in chloroform extract is lupenyl acetate (11.25%). SUMMARY: All extracts of Streblus asper found potential anticancer activity against lung cancer cell line (A-549). Chloroform fraction is highly active on hepatoma cancer cell line (Hep-G2) whereas methanolic, and hexane fractions have highly cytotoxic potency against leukemia cancer cell line (K-562). Methanolic extract of S. asper is rich source of glycosides, fatty acids, and phytosterol. In Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry evaluation of S. asper β-stigmasterol, β-sitosterol, lycopene, and lupeol identified as an anticancer agent from previously reported literature. Abbreviations used: SRB: Sulforhodamine B assay; SAM: Methanol extract; SAH: Hexane extract; SAC: Chloroform extract.