GC-MS analysis, anti-inflammatory and anti-proliferative properties of the aerial parts of three Mesembryanthemum spp.

Background: Due to their variability and safety, widespread research on phytochemicals continually encourages researchers to study various plants for their potential health benefits.

Objectives: This study aims to explore the phytochemical constituents of the aerial parts of three Mesembryanthemum spp.; M. nodiflorum, M. forsskaolii, and M. cordifolium existed in Egyptian nature using GC-MS analysis and studying their different biological activities in correlation to computational analysis.

Methods: Investigation of in vitro anti-inflammatory and anticancer activities and in silico studies of identified major compounds on VEGFR. Results: Thirty-three compounds were identified, octadecanoic acid, 2, 3-dihydroxypropyl ester, and 1H-Indene, 1-hexadecyl-2, 3-dihydro are the common compounds in the three extracts with different percentages. M. forsskaolii is the most extract with diverse phytoconstituents showing significant anticancer properties against the CACO2 cells with IC₅₀ value equal to 31.78 µg/mL. Nevertheless, all extracts showed potent anti-inflammatory activity at high concentrations (500 µg/mL). M. nodiflorum, M. forsskaolii, and M. cordifolium had IC₅₀ on HepG2 cells equal to 73.64, 88.18, and 87.82 µg/mL. Molecular findings showed the three extracts had distinct effects on apoptosis modulation in HepG2 cells. Conclusion The findings suggest that the studied extracts had potential therapeutic properties as anti-inflammatory and anticancer agents, supported by an in-silico interaction study.