Unlocking Antioxidant-Anticancer Synergy: An Exploration of Therapeutic Bioactives from Methanolic Extracts of Rubus ellipticus and Boerhavia diffusa Using HeLa Cell Line.

Abstract

This study aimed to assess the synergistic antioxidant and anticancer effects of methanolic extracts derived from Rubus ellipticus and Boerhavia diffusa fruits against the HeLa cell line. The methanolic extracts were prepared from the fruits of R. ellipticus and B. diffusa, and their antioxidant potential was evaluated using the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) scavenging activity assay and the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) assay. The anticancer effects of benzoic acid and rutin extracted from the aforementioned fruits were also investigated against the HeLa cell line using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazolyl-2)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide assay to measure the cell metabolic activity. Using Synergy Finder plus software, the bioactive compounds were tested to explore any synergistic effects. R. ellipticus exhibited higher antioxidant potential as revealed by higher DPPH scavenging activity and FRAP value compared with B. diffusa. The benzoic acid extracted from R. ellipticus demonstrated potent anticancer activity against the HeLa cell line, with an IC₅₀ of 1.07 µg/mL. Similarly, rutin extracted from B. diffusa displayed moderate anticancer activity with an IC₅₀ of 1.4 µg/mL while exhibiting minimal impact on normal cell lines. The combination studies of the extracted bioactive compounds revealed a synergistic effect. These findings suggest the therapeutic potential of R. ellipticus and B. diffusa in combating the oxidative stress and cancer. Their bioactive compounds like benzoic acid and rutin were observed to act synergistically. Further investigations are warranted to elucidate the underlying mechanisms and evaluate their applicability in clinical settings.