Phyto-chemicals and Spectral Characterization of Novel Glaucarubinone Quassinoid from Simarouba glauca Leaves: In vitro Anti-proliferative Potential against Breast Adenocarcinoma Cell line

Abstract

Background: Simarouba glaucabelonging to the Simaroubaceae family and rich in quassinoids was traditionally used to treat cancer. Our aim is to quantify quassinoid in its leaf’s bioactive extract and perform in vitroscreening to assess its potential against breast cancer.Materials and Methods: The ultrasonic assisted extraction was used to prepare chloroform, methanol and aqueous leaf extracts of Simarouba glauca,phytochemical and spectral characterizations were performed. The quassinoid enriched methanol fraction was subjected to an in vitroanti-proliferative assay against MDA-MB 231 breast adenocarcinoma cell line.Results: The fingerprint analysis indicated that glaucarubinone was isolated from methanol fraction 4 of Simarouba glaucaleaf with an Rfvalue of 0.22, closer to the standard Rf(0.24). Liquid chromatography mass spectroscopy analysis indicated that the isolated glaucarubinone peak was observed at m/z 496.33 g/mol [M+H]. In vitrocytotoxicity assay results showed that all three extracts were proved cytotoxic in nature, with IC50 values of 123.05 μg/mL, 117.81 μg/ mL and 155.06 μg/mL respectively on the breast adenocarcinoma cell line.Conclusion: This study concluded that glaucarubinone quassinoid is present in the methanol fraction. Further, it possessed anti-cancer potential against MDA-MB 231 breast adenocarcinoma cell line.

Keywords: Novel Quassinoids; Spectral characterization; HPTLC; in vitro anti-proliferative assay