Antioxidant Effects, Antiproliferative Effects, and Molecular Docking of <i>Clinacanthus nutans</i> Leaf Extracts

<i>Clinacanthus nutans</i> is a well-known herb that has been used as an alternative and therapeutic medicine, however more selective <i>C. nutans</i> extracts are needed. In this study, leaves were extracted with 80% methanol and further fractionated with <i>n</i>...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Noor Zafirah Ismail, Zaleha Md Toha, Musthahimah Muhamad, Nik Nur Syazni Nik Mohamed Kamal, Nur Nadhirah Mohamad Zain, Hasni Arsad
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2020-04-01
Series:Molecules
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/1420-3049/25/9/2067
Description
Summary:<i>Clinacanthus nutans</i> is a well-known herb that has been used as an alternative and therapeutic medicine, however more selective <i>C. nutans</i> extracts are needed. In this study, leaves were extracted with 80% methanol and further fractionated with <i>n</i>-hexane, dichloromethane, chloroform, n-butanol, and aqueous residue. Subsequently, the total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), antioxidant scavenging activity, and antiproliferative effects on breast cancer (Michigan Cancer Foundation-7 [MCF7]) and normal breast (Michigan Cancer Foundation-10A [MCF 10A]) cells of the extracts were measured. Additionally, molecular docking simulation of the major compounds from <i>C. nutans</i> extracts was conducted. The aqueous residue had the highest TPC and TFC, whereas the crude extract had the highest scavenging activity. Among the extracts, dichloromethane extract (CN-Dcm) was selected as it had the highest selectivity index (SI) (1.48). Then, the chosen extract (CN-Dcm) was proceed for further analysis. The compounds from CN-Dcm were identified using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC–MS). The major compounds from CN-Dcm were further investigated through molecular docking studies. Palmitic acid and linolenyl alcohol were the compounds found in the CN-Dcm extract that exhibited the highest binding affinities with p53-binding protein Mdm-2. These results highlight the potential of <i>C. nutans</i> as a source of anticancer activities.
ISSN:1420-3049