Anti-inflammatory and cytotoxic effects of Jatropha podagrica extracts on skin cancer.

Background and purpose: Jatropha podagrica Hook, belongs to the Euphorbiaceae family, which possesses anticancer activities and is traditionally applied to treat skin diseases. No reports of J. podagrica anti-neoplastic activity on an amelanotic melanoma and associated inflammatory mediators exist.

Experimental approach: The biological activities, including cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory effects of J. podagrica extracts, were evaluated. Key compounds in the extracts were identified using LC-MS/MS analysis.

Findings/results: The hexane extract of the root (RMH) demonstrated the highest inhibition of NO production with an IC₅₀ of 4.94 ± 0.25 μg/mL, followed by the ethanolic extracts of the root (RME) and stem (SME) with IC₅₀ values of 24.90 ± 1.06 and 25.20 ± 0.10 μg/mL, respectively. However, RMH showed cellular toxicity at 50 pg/mL, while other extracts were non-toxic up to 100 μg/mL. None of the extracts affected the concentrations of inflammatory mediators PGE₂ or TNF-α. The cytotoxic activity of SME showed an IC₅₀ of 5.62 ± 0.58 μg/mL, comparable to that of the anticancer drug 5-fluorouracil, with an IC₅₀ of 0.59 ± 0.01 μg/mL. The selectivity index of SME was >17.79, significantly higher than that of 5-fluorouracil, which was 0.08. LC-MS/MS analysis identified two main compounds from the coumarin group: fraxetin at 5.357 min and its positional isomer tomentin at 5.943 min.

Conclusion and implications: The study indicates that SME exhibits good cytotoxic activity and inhibits key cancer hallmarks such as NO production. The presence of coumarins, identified through LC-MS/MS, suggests that these compounds may play a crucial role in the extract's anticancer effects, highlighting the potential for future development as cancer therapeutics.