In vitro anti-cancer activity of isolated compound from Asparagus laricinus burch. leaves on breast cancer cell lines (mcf-7)

Abstract

Breast cancer is a global health issue and the second leading cause of death in women. Global Cancer Incidence, Mortality and Prevalence 2020 reported 186 598 breast cancer cases, with 85 878 related deaths in Africa. While the morbidity rates appeared low, the mortality rates were relatively high in sub-Saharan Africa. Current breast cancer therapies are known to cause severe long-term adverse effects in patients. An alternative approach to combat this issue is to conduct research aimed at discovering treatments using traditional medicinal plants (TMPs) that have reduced severe adverse effects. TMPs contain secondary metabolites known to possess anti-cancer potential, as reported in previous studies. This study aimed to evaluate the anti-cancer activity of compound N-A, isolated from the Asparagus laricinus Burch. plant, against breast cancer cell lines (MCF-7) in vitro. Various chromatographic techniques, such as vacuum liquid chromatography (VLC), column chromatography, high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC), and preparative thin-layer chromatography (PTLC), were employed to fractionate, isolate, and purify the compound. The chemical composition of the plant extract was identified using liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (LC-MS). A total of 18 fractions were collected by VLC and further combined based on similarities in content to formulate nine sub-fractions. Among these nine sub-fractions, sub-fraction number two was selected for compound isolation due to its higher content and better separation observed on a thin-layer chromatography (TLC) plate. Following isolation, the anti-cancer activity of compound N-A was assessed using the Hoechst 33342/propidium iodide assay on MCF-7 cell lines at different concentrations that ranged from 15.63 to 250 μg/mL. After in vitro bio-assay screening, compound N-A did not exhibit a reduction of cell population by 50%. The inactivity of compound N-A was, however, unexpected, as the crude extract of this plant has previously been shown to possess an anti-cancer effect on the MCF-7 cell line. It is possible that this molecule is more effective in the presence of other compounds found in A. laricinus Burch. extract due to synergism. The findings of this study suggest that compound N-A isolated from A. laricinus Burch. may not function as an anti-cancer agent; rather, the crude extract should be considered in future studies.