Phytochemical Screening and Evaluation of Antioxidant and Antiproliferative Potential of <i>Morus alba</i> (L.) Leaves Extracts Against Breast Cancer Cell Lines

Abstract

Morus alba (L.) belongs to the family Moraceae commonly known as white mulberry used in folk medicine in the remedy of dysentery, diuretic, and antidiabetic treatments. Morus species contain several bioactive compounds which attribute to their biological properties. The purpose of this study is to determine the total phenolic content, antioxidant potential and antiproliferative activity of different leaf extracts of Morus alba (L). The plant leaves extracts were prepared by the Soxhlet extraction method. The total phenolic content was determined by Folin–Ciocalteu method and antioxidative potential was assessed by H2O2 free radical scavenging assay. The antiproliferative potential was investigated by MTT (3-[4,5- dimethylthiazol-2-yl]-2,5 diphenyl tetrazolium bromide) assay using breast cancer cell lines MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231. Our results showed that all the extracts exhibited significant antioxidant and antiproliferative activity dose-dependently. Amongst all, the ethanolic leaf extract possessed higher radical scavenging activity as well as potent cytotoxicity against breast cancer cells. Furthermore, the ethanolic leaf extract was subjected to analyse of its bioactive composition that might be responsible for its potent antioxidant and antiproliferative potential. The presence of different functional groups in the extract was analysed by Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) technique and the main bioactive compounds in the extract were identified by Liquid Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (LC-MS). Therefore, it can be concluded by the above findings that Morus alba (L.) has promising antioxidant activity and potent antiproliferative activity against breast cancer cells and thus can be used as a great source of natural antioxidants in developing drugs against various diseases.