Evaluation of the anticancer potential of Pleurotus eous against human breast cancer MCF-7 cell line

Breast cancer remains one of the most prevalent malignancies worldwide, motivating the search for effective anticancer agents. Edible mushrooms are increasingly recognized as sources of bioactive anticancer compounds, yet the potential of Pleurotus eous , a species rich in phenolic and terpenoid constituents, remains unexplored. The methanolic extract of P. eous was characterized by GC-MS and evaluated for antioxidant activity (DPPH scavenging and total phenolic content) and cytotoxicity against MCF-7 breast cancer cells (MTT assay), with doxorubicin as a positive control. Assays were performed in triplicate; data were analyzed by ANOVA with Tukey’s post-hoc test. GC-MS identified several phytochemicals, including carvacrol, quinic acid, and a cinnamic acid derivative, compounds with reported antioxidant and anticancer activity. The extract showed strong antioxidant activity (97.39% DPPH scavenging at 700 µg/mL) and a total phenolic content of 2.80 ± 0.04 mg GAE/g DW. The MTT assay showed dose-dependent cytotoxicity (IC 50 = 82.69 µg/mL at 24 h), with microscopy revealing apoptosis-like changes at higher doses; differences between treated and untreated groups were significant ( p < 0.0001). The methanolic extract of P. eous exhibited notable antioxidant and cytotoxic activity against MCF-7 cells, likely attributable to its phenolic and terpenoid content, supporting its potential as a source of bioactive anticancer metabolites. Further in vivo studies and compound purification are needed to confirm these effects and clarify the underlying mechanisms.