GC-MS profiling, anticancer and antioxidant evaluation of Millettia pinnata (L.) Panigrahi (Fabaceae family) seed extract

Cancer remains the leading cause of mortality worldwide. ​Phytochemicals are increasingly recognized as a valuable source of effective and safer agents against various types of cancer. In this study, defatted seed powder was subjected to extraction by Soxhlet apparatus. Qualitative analysis was conducted through biochemical tests, high-performance thin-layer chromatography (HPTLC), Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy, and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). The quantitative analysis of phenols, flavonoids, and tannins was estimated using standard curves of gallic acid, quercetin and tannic acid, respectively. The antioxidant activity of the extract was assessed using four different free radical scavenging assays. The lethality and anticancer activity of the extract were evaluated using the brine shrimp lethality assay (BSLA) and the MTT assay, respectively. The seed extract was found to be non-toxic, biologically active, and rich in various phytocomponents with potent antioxidant activity. The sample exhibited cytotoxicity towards the MCF-7 breast cancer cell line and the HCT116 colorectal cancer cell line.