Exploring the Antioxidant and Anticancer Activities of a Polyherbal Unani Formulation on Lung Cancer Cell Line (A549)

More and more studies are focusing on natural ingredients as a potential cure for a wide range of diseases. In Unani medicine, several formulations have been described for the management of cancer. An important polyherbal Unani formulation (PUF) has been investigated for its antioxidant and anticancer activities along with total phenolic content (TPC) and total flavonoid content (TFC) in different extracts of PUF. The DPPH and ABTS methods were employed to assess antioxidant activity, while the MTT method was utilised for evaluating anticancer activity. The TPC & TFC were calculated by standard methods. PUF was also subjected to HPTLC fingerprinting, preliminary screening of phytochemicals, and estimation of pesticide residue of the PUF. The extracts were proven to contain alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, steroids, tannins, glycosides, phenols, and carbohydrates. The highest TPC (130.5 ± 8.70 µg GAE/mg) was found in HE extract while the highest TFC was found in the ME extract of PUF. In DPPH assay, the IC₅₀ values of aqueous (AQ), hydroethanolic (HE), and methanolic (ME) were 235, 122, and 188 μg/mL, respectively, while in ABTS assay, the IC₅₀ values of AQ, HE, and ME were 254, 253, and 247 μg/mL, respectively. In the MTT assay, the IC₅₀ value of AQ, HE, and ME was >500, 100, and >500 μg/mL, respectively, confirming that HE extracts showed best activity. The evidence indicates that HE fraction of PUF, exhibits superior antioxidant and anticancer properties, making it a potential candidate for managing cancer and other diseases linked to free radicals.