Antioxidant properties and cytotoxic effects of Elephantorrhiza elephantina on cervical cancer cells

Abstract Background The rising global cancer burden, which is more evident in the Sub-Saharan Africa region, emphasises the need to devise other ways of tackling cancer. Plants have for centuries demonstrated effectiveness in cancer treatment with minimal toxicity. They present a promising alternative to conventional treatments, which are often riddled with a plethora of side effects. In this research, the potential antioxidant and cytotoxic effects of Elephantorrhiza elephantina root extracts on cancer cells were investigated. Extracts were prepared by maceration using solvents of different polarity. The extracts underwent preliminary phytochemical screening, GC-MS analysis, antioxidant activity assays (ABTS and DPPH) and a cytotoxicity assay (MTT) against HeLa cells. Results Water extracts displayed the highest percentage yield. Different phytochemicals such as phenols, alkaloids and steroids were detected during both preliminary phytochemical screening and GC-MS analysis. Antioxidant activity was seen to vary greatly across solvents. The methanol extract exhibited the strongest ABTS inhibition, while the strongest DPPH scavenging activity was observed from the 80% aqueous Methanol. Notably, the moderate cytotoxic activity against HeLa cells was displayed by Methanol + Dichloromethane (1:1) extract (IC₅₀ (µg/mL ) : 120.0 ± 2.4). Conclusions From these findings, extracts derived from Elephantorrhiza elephantina demonstrated potential antioxidant activity and a moderate cytotoxic activity. This necessitates their further investigation to reveal the bioactive compounds within these extracts. Results of this study warrants further investigation of extracts from E. elephantina in anticancer drug development.