Exploring various extracts and compounds of Grewia velutina as potential anticancer agents: An in vitro and in silico investigations

This study presents a comprehensive investigation into the potential anticancer properties and chemical constituents of an unexplored plant (Grewia velutina) extracts. Three distinct extracts of hexane (GVH), chloroform (GVC) and methanol(GVM) of the plant were used to check their anticancer activity against four prominent cancer cell lines (HepG2, DU145, Hela, A549), and the results were compared with the standard chemotherapeutic agent doxorubicin. Anticancer assays revealed that the GVC extract exhibited highest activity than others, with IC50 values of 61.06 µg/mL, 47.87 µg/mL, 88.76 µg/mL, and 87.99 µg/mL against HepG2, DU145, Hela, and A549 cell lines, respectively and reflected a comparable activity to doxorubicin, highlighting its potential as an effective anticancer agent. With the help of chemical profiling data, molecular docking studies were performed and this study suggested that ionol, present in GVC extract is the most active compound against all the cancerous cells.