Maerua edulis (Gilg & Gilg-Ben.) DeWolf) was traditionally used in the treatment and/ or management of various diseases, including cancer. However, limited studies have evaluated whether M. edulis can suppress the proliferation of cervical cancer cells, and its putative mechanism for antiproliferative activity remains unclear. Therefore, we conducted this study to evaluate the in-vitro antiproliferative and cytotoxic effects of M. edulis root extracts against human cervical cancer cells and their underlying mechanism of action. To achieve this goal, we performed MTT assay, microscopic analyses, and wound-healing assay to assess the antiproliferative activity of M. edulis extract and its fractions. Qualitative phytochemical and gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS) analyses were performed to characterize the phytochemicals in bioactive extracts, and network pharmacology was utilized to predict putative molecular targets and the mechanism of action of the active extract’s fractions. Target validation was accomplished through molecular docking and real-time PCR methods. Bioactive M. edulis extracts exhibited significant antiproliferative activity against HeLa cells, with hexane fraction (essential oil) and ethyl acetate extracts demonstrating IC50 values of 0.02% (v/v) and 47.42 µg/mL, respectively. GC–MS analysis identified key phytochemicals such as methyl stearate, (8Z)-14-methylhexadec-8-enal, squalene, and stigmasta-3,5-diene, which were associated with the demonstrated bioactivities, possibly mechanistically through regulation of apoptosis and cell cycle-related genes (BCL2, CDK2, TP53). Interestingly, gene expression analysis revealed the modulation of these target genes. The results of our study suggest the potential therapeutic benefits of M. edulis in the treatment and management of cervical cancer. Further in-vivo studies are recommended to validate these findings and establish their safety profile.
Lagu et al. (Sat,) studied this question.