Antioxidant potential of Cnidoscolus multilobus (Pax) I.M. Johnst and its antiproliferative and cytotoxic effect on cervical cancer cells

Introduction Cnidoscolus multilobus (Pax) I.M. Johnst (Euphorbiaceae), is used in the traditional medicine of Veracruz in Mexico for the treatment of several diseases. Its anticancer use has recently been reported. The present study evaluates the antioxidant, antiproliferative and cytotoxic activity of the extract of the leaves of C. multilobus against to the HeLa cervical cancer cell line. Methods The dried leaves of C. multilobus were macerated in a 70:30 mixture of ethanol-water. The antioxidant activity of the extract was determined by the DPPH and FRAP methods. The content of phenolic compounds was obtained by the Folin-Ciocalteu method. The evaluation of the antiproliferative and cytotoxic activity of the extract on the HeLa cervical cancer cell line was performed using the MTT assay, while the direct cell count was performed using the TB exclusion assay. Results The extract of the leaves of C. multilobus significantly inhibited the DPPH radical at 84.2% and reduced the FRAP reagent at 818.18 µmol Fe2+/L. Simultaneously, the extract also inhibited the proliferation of the HeLa cervical cancer cell line at a 125 µg/mL concentration without apparent cell damage. In contrast, the cultures cell viability improved after 48 h of incubation at a 62 µg/mL concentration. Nevertheless, at concentrations above 500 µg/mL the effect was markedly cytotoxic. Conclusions The extract of the leaves of C. multilobus had an antioxidant capacity related to its antiproliferative and weakly cytotoxic activity. The results also showed that the extract had an antiproliferative effect on cervical cancer cells.