An Investigation of Crinum jagus Bulbs for Lead Anti- Hepatocellular Carcinoma Compounds

Hepatocellular carcinoma is one of the primary causes of cancer-related mortality.In this study, we evaluated the anticancer activity of five chromatographic fractions derived from the methanol extract of Crinum jagus bulbs against the HepG2 hepatocellular carcinoma cell line, using the MTT (3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay.The IC50 value was used as a measure of anticancer activity.The most active fraction was analyzed using GCMS and LCMS.The binding energies of the identified compounds with Caspase-3, Caspase-9, and EGFR were evaluated and compared to those of the standard drug, Sorafenib.The compounds' drug-likeness was assessed by applying Lipinski's rule of five.The most potent fraction exhibited an IC50 value of 37 g/ml.Nineteen (19) compounds, primarily fatty acids, fatty acid esters, and flavonoids, were identified from the fraction by GCMS and LCMS analysis.Of the nineteen (19) compounds identified in the most active fraction, linoelaidic acid (-8.23 kcal mol-1), hexadecanoic acid (-7.96 kcal mol-1) and 9,12-Octadecadienoic acid (-7.78 kcal mol-1) had a better binding affinity for Caspase-3 than Sorafenib; hexadecanoic acid methyl ester (-8.10 kcal mol-1) and pentyl linoleate (-8.00 kcal mol-1) had comparable binding energy with Sorafenib (-8.47 kcal mol-1) against Caspase-9.In contrast, hexadecanoic acid (-8.29 kcal mol-1), linoelaidic acid (-8.58 kcal mol-1), and pentyl linoleate (-8.66 kcal mol-1) had better binding energy than Sorafenib (-8.24 kcal mol-1) against EGFR.These compounds passed Lipinski's test for drug-likeness.The study's findings lend credence to the plant's traditional use as a cancer remedy.