Anticancer potential of phytocompound isolated from <i>Asystasia gangetica</i> leaves: extraction optimization, characterization, and toxicity assessment

Response surface methodology (RSM) was applied for optimisation of Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) of bioactive compounds from <i>Asystasia gangetica</i> (L.) leaves (AGL). The optimised conditions were found to be EtOH concentration of 61.48%, liquid-to-solid ratio of 21.70 mL/g and sonication time of 43.41 min. The AGL extract was further subjected to a purification process, among the seven fractions, fraction F1 showed higher cytotoxicity against MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Upon purification and characterisation, the structure of fraction F1 was identified as apigenin 6,8-Di-C-<i>β</i>-<i>D</i>-glucopyranoside with molecular weight of 595. The acridine orange/propidium iodide dual staining revealed the morphological apoptotic changes in MCF-7 breast cancer cells treated with apigenin 6,8-Di-C-β-D-glucopyranoside. The DNA fragmentation pattern and cell cycle results were supported by flow cytometry data. The zebrafish embryonic model revealed the non-toxicity of the isolated bioactive compound. The present study suggests that apigenin 6,8-Di-C-β-D-glucopyranoside could be a potential herbal-based nutraceutical for cancer and other related diseases.