In vitro Screening of Phytochemicals, Antioxidant and Anticancer Activities of Derris indica Extracts

Abstract

Derris indica (Leguminosae) has been used in folk medicine to treat ulcers, bronchitis, coughing, whooping cough, and diabetes and has also been used pharmacologically for its antiinflammatory, antimicrobial, antidiabetic, and anticancer activities. Fifteen extracts from leaf, flower, fruit, twig, and bark of D. indica were investigated by standard phytochemical screening tests, and the activity was confirmed by quantitative analysis based on the determination of total flavonoid contents. Free radical scavenging activities were evaluated in vitro by two methods: DPPH and ABTS, and the anticancer activity was measured by cell growth inhibition determined using a resazurin microplate assay (REMA). Phytochemical screening revealed the phenolics, flavonoids, terpenoids, alkaloids, saponins, and anthraquinones, and quantitative analysis showed that hexane and ethyl acetate extracts showed significantly higher TFC than methanol extracts. A positive correlation was established by the Pearson correlation test between DPPH and ABTS measurements (r = 0.831). Interestingly, the free radical scavenging activity depended on the structure- function relationship of flavonoids, with a negative correlation (r = 0.758, 0.846, 0.972, 0.601) for DPPH and (r = 0.946, 0.480, 0.965, 0.686) for ABTS which was observed in leaf, flower, fruit, and twig methanolic extracts, respectively. Anticancer activity was tested against the MCF7 breast cancer cell line and the NCI-H187 small cell lung cancer line. Hexane extract of the fruit, and ethyl acetate extract of the twig and bark were active against NCI-H187 cancer cells.