Proximate composition, vitamin and mineral composition, antioxidant capacity, and anticancer activity of Acanthopanax trifoliatus

Acanthopanax trifoliatus has been used as both traditional plant food and medicinal plant in Thailand. This study aimed to evaluate proximate, vitamin, and mineral compositions of A. trifoliatus leaf samples together with antioxidant and anticancer activities of ethanolic leaf extract of A. trifoliatus. For leaf samples, quantitative determination of proximate composition was evaluated comprising moisture, crude protein, total fat, total carbohydrate, dietary fiber, ash, as well as energy. Quantitative determination of vitamin and mineral composition including Vitamin A, Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin C, calcium, sodium, and iron was also assessed. For ethanolic leaf extract, antioxidant activity was investigated using oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) methods. Anticancer activity was determined against human ductal, bronchogenic, liver, gastric, and colon cancer cell lines using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide method. Proximate composition of A. trifoliatus was found to be 74.62 ± 0.38, 5.01 ± 0.05, 0.95 ± 0.04, 16.47 ± 0.40, 8.54 ± 0.06, and 2.95 ± 0.04 g/100 g sample, respectively, and energy was found to be 94.48 ± 1.30 kcal/100 g sample. Vitamin and mineral composition was found to be 428.47 ± 3.00 μg/100 g sample, 0.41 ± 0.01, 0.17 ± 0.00, 11.95 ± 0.86, 675.35 ± 46.57, 13.46 ± 0.95, and 4.79 ± 0.15 mg/100 g sample, respectively. A. trifoliatus ethanolic leaf extract revealed antioxidant capacity with ORAC value of 9057.29 ± 43.08 μmol TE/100 g and FRAP value of 1230.88 ± 19.51 μmol TE/100 g. Its extract also showed cytotoxic potential against all tested cancer cell lines. A. trifoliatus leaf is a good source of essential nutrients, which had antioxidant and anticancer potential.