Phytochemical Screening and in vitro Antiproliferative Activity of the Fruit of Annona muricata and Abelmoschus esculentus Pods against Selected Cancer Cell Lines

Incorporation of fruits and vegetables in diet can successfully be used in prevention and treatment of cancer. Annona muricata and Abelmoschus esculentus which belongs to the annonaceae and malvaceae family respectively have commonly been used in traditional medicine to treat various ailments. This study evaluated the phytochemical components of both A. muricata and A. esculentus and their antiproliferative activity on the breast, cervical and prostate cancer cell lines. Both A. muricata and A. esculentus were extracted using methanol and dichloromethane in a ratio of 1:1. Phytochemical screening was done using standard analytical procedures. The MTT assay was used to evaluate the antiproliferative activity of A. muricata and A. esculentus extracts against breast cancer, cervical cancer, prostate cancer and Vero cell lines. Phytochemical screening confirmed that the fruit of A. muricata and the pods of A. esculentus are rich in saponins, tannins, alkaloids, terpernoids, glycosides, flavonoids and phenols. A. muricata had an IC50 of 23.632±1.3465 µg/ml, 72.5860±1.9819 µg/ml and 93.6233±3.0570 µg/ml on Hela (cervical cancer cells), DU145 (Prostate cancer) and HCC 1395 (Breast cancer) cells respectively. A. esculentus demonstrated antiproliferative activity on Hela cells with an IC50 of 20.3840±1.2132 µg/ml on DU145 and HCC 1395 cells an IC50 of 50.013±0.2502 µg/ml and 171.6460±4.7642 µg/ml respectively. The standard drug used had an IC50 of 21.126 µg/ml on HCC and 24.850 µg/ml on Hela cells. Both plants selectively inhibited the growth of the cancerous cells tested (SI>3) with the highest selectivity observed in HCC 1395 cells. This study authenticates traditional use and suggests potential use of these plants in cancer management and treatment.