Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry Analysis and Cytotoxicity of Roots against Human Cancer Cell Lines.

Roxb. (Asparagaceae), is native to the Himalayas. This plant has been used in the prevention and effective treatment of various forms of cancers.This paper reports, for the first time, on the cytotoxicity of the methanol (MeOH) extract of the roots of and its solid-phase extraction (SPE) fractions against four human carcinoma cell lines and LC-ESI-QTOF-MS analysis of the SPE fractions.Finely powdered roots of were macerated in methanol and extracted through SPE using gradient solvent system (water: methanol) proceeded for analysis on LC-ESI-QTOF-MS and cytotoxicity against four human carcinoma cell lines: breast (MCF7), liver (HEPG2), lung (A549), and urinary bladder (EJ138), using the 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazoliumbromide assay.The MeOH extract and four SPE fractions exhibited cytotoxicity against all cell lines with the IC values ranging from 6 to 79 μg/mL. As observed in other species, the presence of saponins and sapogenins in the SPE fractions was evident in the liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry data.It is reasonable to assume that the cytotoxicity of the MeOH extract of the roots of and its SPE fractions, at least partly, due to the presence of saponins and their aglycones. This suggests that could be exploited as a potential source of cytotoxic compounds with putative anticancer potential.The MeOH extract and all solid-phase extraction (SPE) fractions exhibited various levels of cytotoxicity against all cell lines with the IC values ranging from 6 to 79 μg/mLThe presence of saponins and sapogenins in the SPE fractions was evident in the Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry dataDue to the presence of saponins and their aglycones, suggest that could be exploited as a potential source of cytotoxic compounds with putative anticancer potential. SPE: Solid-phase extraction, MCF7: Breast cancer cell line, HEPG2: Liver cancer cell line, A549: Lung liver cancer cell line, EJ138: Urinary bladder cancer cell line, MTT: 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazoliumbromide, LC-MS: Liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry.