In vitro Anticancer Activities and GC-MS Analysis of the Leaf Ethanol Extracts from the Genus Piper (Piperaceae) in Lapuyan, Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines

The utilization of some of the Piper species in traditional medicine in cancer treatment suggests that the genus is a promising source of new anticancer compounds. The current study aims to determine the cytotoxic activity of the collected Piper species leaf extracts against three cancer cell lines using the MTT assay and to identify the major compounds accounting for the activity using GC-MS. The leaf ethanol extracts of the studied Piper species exhibited potent cytotoxic activity against three human cancer cell lines, represented by cervical carcinoma (HeLa), breast Cancer (MCF-7), and colon adenocarcinoma (HT-29). It was observed that P. betle has the lowestIC50 value for HeLa and HT-29, while P. caninum for MCF-7 with a value of 20.24 ± 1.26 μg/mL, 23.51 ± 4.50 μg/mL, and 27.34 ± 3.13 μg/mL, respectively. This suggests that P. betle is an effective agent for both HeLa and HT-29 cancer cell lines, while P. caninum has higher potency for MCF-7. Analysis of the bioactive compounds of the Piper ethanol leaf extracts using GC-MS analysis revealed the presence of anticancer compounds. It is suggested that further studies, like the isolation of individual compounds, the analysis of their bioactivity, and the understanding of their toxicity profile, will produce significant results. Finally, the study results show that the ethnomedicinal application of Piper species by the Subanen of Lapuyan, Zamboanga del Sur, has a pharmacological basis.