Brown alga Sargassum wightii derived bioactive compound as potential anti-cancerous agent and molecular docking insights on Hep-2, THP-1 and Cervical cancer cell lines

Cervical cancer remains a major cause of mortality among women worldwide, with cisplatin resistance posing a critical therapeutic challenge. In this study, Naringenin, a flavonoid compound, was isolated and purified from the brown alga Sargassum wightii . Structural characterization was performed using FT-IR, 13 C and 1 H NMR, HPLC, and ESI-MS, confirming a molecular weight of 273.5 m / z . NMR spectral data verified the positions of hydroxyl and carbonyl functional groups. Naringenin exhibited strong antioxidant activity with a DPPH radical scavenging rate of 73.17 %. MTT-based cytotoxicity assays revealed significant cell death in HeLa (85.60 %), Hep-2 (76.11 %), and THP-1 cells, with corresponding IC₅₀ values of 34.53, 44.26, and 45.61 μg/mL, respectively. Cell cycle analysis indicated apoptosis induction, as evidenced by a marked increase in the sub-G1 population across all tested cell lines. This is the first report on the antioxidant and anticancer potential of S. wightii -derived Naringenin against cervical cancer cell lines. Molecular docking studies demonstrated strong binding affinities with key cancer-related proteins, including NF-κB (−8.4 kcal/mol), cAMP-dependent protein kinase (−5.7 kcal/mol), cervical cancer suppressor gene 4 (−8.8 kcal/mol), and sirtuin-2 (−8.5 kcal/mol). These findings highlight Naringenin as a promising natural therapeutic candidate for cervical cancer, warranting further evaluation through in vivo and clinical studies.