Fruits of Hyphaene thebaica L. for the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Network Pharmacology and Molecular Docking Study

Liver cancer is a major health challenge worldwide due to its high mortality rates.This study investigates the therapeutic potential of Hyphaene thebaica (Doum Palm) fruit extracts.Ultrasonic-assisted extraction using ethanol: HCl (1 % v/v) yielded the highest phenolic content (52.3 2.1 mg GAE/g DW), while Soxhlet extraction with dichloromethane resulted in the highest lipid content (12.8 0.5 %).The antioxidant potential of the acetone extract was notable, achieving an EC 50 of 129 g/ mL.Cytotoxicity analysis against HuH-7 liver carcinoma cells revealed a significant dose-dependent effect, with dichloromethane extract demonstrating the highest cytotoxicity (IC 50 : 155 g/mL).Morphological studies confirmed apoptosis via DAPI and AO/ EtBr staining.Bioinformatics analysis identified 423 common targets between 453 compound-related and 1,249 liver-related genes.Key hub genes, including AKT1, TP53, EGFR, SRC, and IL6, were identified through protein-protein interaction networks and GO/KEGG enrichment.Molecular docking studies showed a1-Sitosterol and 9, 19-Cyclolanost-24-en-3-ol had strong binding affinities with docking scores of -10.3 and -9.6 kcal/mol, respectively.These findings highlight the potential of H. thebaica fruit extracts as a source of bioactive compounds with antioxidant and anticancer properties, paving the way for further pharmaceutical research and development.