Antioxidant, Anti-Inflammatory, and Anticancer Activities of Ethanolic Chayote (Sechium edule) Fruit Extract: Phytochemical Insights and Therapeutic Implications

Chayote (Sechium edule) is a valuable species of the Cucurbitaceae family, widely consumed in many countries due to its diverse nutritional and bio-functional properties. This study was designed to evaluate the phenolic compounds (using Folin-Ciocalteu and aluminum chloride methods), antioxidant (via DPPH assay), anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer activity (by MTT assay) of chayote fruit ethanolic extract (CFE). The results showed that the CFE contains high phenolic and flavonoid compounds with concentration-dependent and appropriate antioxidant activity. Approximately ۶۲ ± ۰.۵۳ % of DPPH free radicals were inhibited at the ۲۰۰ μg mL-۱ concentration (IC۵۰ = ۳۵.۴۰ μg mL-۱). Also, the results of the anti-inflammatory activity indicated that CFE significantly prevents protein denaturation. The highest inhibitory effect at ۸۰۰ μg mL-۱ was ۶۳.۳۷ ± ۲.۱۴ %. Further, the CFE anticancer activity results on breast cancer cell lines (MCF-۷) indicated its significant toxicity (IC۵۰ = ۴۲.۰۴ μg mL-۱) after ۲۴ h. However, no significant toxicity was observed in normal mouse fibroblast cells (L۹۲۹). Generally, this study demonstrates that CFE is rich in bioactive compounds with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer effects, making it a promising candidate for use in functional foods and pharmaceutical applications.

کلیدواژه ها:

Anticancer activity ، Anti-inflammatory ، Bioactive compounds ، Functional foods ، Natural antioxidants