What does this research mean for the field?

Eggplant by-products exhibit significant anti-cancer activity, with peel showing the highest potency against prostate and cervical cancer cell lines. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.NOVEL_FINDING. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.NEUTRAL.

What question did this study set out to answer?

The study aims to evaluate the phytochemical profile and anti-cancer properties of eggplant by-products.

March 10, 2026Open Access

Integrated phytochemical profiling, network pharmacology-based in-silico study, and cytotoxicity evaluation of eggplant pulp and by-products

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The study aims to evaluate the phytochemical profile and anti-cancer properties of eggplant by-products.
Conducted UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS analysis to identify phytochemicals in eggplant peels and calyx.
Performed network pharmacology to assess the interaction of identified compounds with cancer-related proteins.
Executed molecular docking of bioactive compounds with target proteins.
Conducted in-vitro cytotoxicity assays on prostate and cervical cancer cell lines.
Identified 50 secondary metabolites in eggplant peels and 41 in calyx, primarily flavonoids and phenolic acids.
The compounds showed strong targeting towards cancer-related proteins like Akt-1, TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6.
Rutin demonstrated the best binding affinity to TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6, while naringenin had the best affinity to Akt-1.
In-vitro cytotoxicity assays revealed potent anti-cancer activity in eggplant peel (IC50 values of 5.497 and 11.19 µg/ml) compared to calyx and pulp.

Resumen

The global trend towards sustainable development has encouraged the zero-waste approach of certain food by-products, to establish sustainable systems of production and consumption. Eggplant (Solanum melongena L.) by-products, particularly peel and calyx, are massively generated and usually discarded without further use despite their richness with beneficial phytochemicals. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the phytochemical profile and anti-cancer activity of eggplant by-products. UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS phytochemical analysis, network pharmacology, molecular docking, and in-vitro cytotoxicity assay against prostate and cervical cell lines were conducted to investigate the phytochemical profile and anti-cancer potential of eggplant by-products. UPLC-QTOF-MS/MS analysis of eggplant peels and calyx afforded the identification of 50 and 41 secondary metabolites, respectively. The identified compounds mainly belonged to flavonoids and phenolic acid derivatives which showed high targeting towards cancer-related proteins through network pharmacology. Further, multi-target, multi-pathway network analysis showed the interactions of identified compounds with four key proteins including Akt-1, TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6. Six bioactive compounds were docked to suggested key proteins according to network pharmacology findings, revealing that rutin has the best binding affinity to TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6, while naringenin showed the best binding affinity to Akt-1. The suggested anti-cancer activity was confirmed by in-vitro cytotoxicity assay against prostate and cervical cancer cell lines which showed potent anti-cancer activity for peel (IC50 5.497 and 11.19 µg/ml) followed by calyx (IC50 17.76 and 28.06 µg/ml) and pulp (IC50 51.36 and 35.23 µg/ml), respectively. These results highlight the potential of eggplant by-products as a sustainable resource for developing functional foods and nutraceuticals.

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