Guava demonstrates powerful anticancer effects

Guava (Psidium guajava) is known not just for its fruit, but also for its traditional medicinal application against conditions such as inflammation and cancer. A study published in the journal Pharmaceutical Biology examined the plant’s anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antitumor effects.

• The researchers determined the antioxidant activity of the plant’s leaf methanol, hexane, and chloroform extracts in ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl hydrazil (DPPH) assays.
• They tested the antitumor effects of the extracts against leukemia, myeloma, and oral cancer cell lines (KBM5, U266, and SCC4 respectively) and their cytotoxicity rates in a brine shrimp lethality assay.
• Their NF-kappa-B suppressing activity was determined using electrophoretic mobility shift assay (EMSA), while their chemical composition was detailed using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC-MS). Colorimetric assays were used to measure total phenolic and flavonoid contents.
• Methanol extracts were found to have the most potent antioxidant activity, followed by chloroform and hexane extracts.
• The hexane extract exhibited the most potent and cytotoxic effects. It also had the best inhibitory effect against TNF-alpha-induced NF-kappa-B activation in KBM5 cells.
• GC-MS analysis results showed that all extracts contained pyrogallol, palmitic acid, and vitamin E.
• Significant differences in phenolic and flavonoid content were noted across all extracts tested.

The researchers concluded that guava leaf extracts have antitumor and anti-inflammatory effects.

Read the full text of the study at this link.

Learn more about the benefits of consuming fruits at Fruits.news.

Journal Reference:

Ashraf A, Sarfraz R-A, Rashid M-A, Mahmood A, Shahid M, Noor N. CHEMICAL COMPOSITION, ANTIOXIDANT, ANTITUMOR, ANTICANCER AND CYTOTOXIC EFFECTS OF PSIDIUM GUAJAVA LEAF EXTRACTS. Pharmaceutical Biology. 3 February 2016; 54(10):1971-1981. DOI: 10.3109/13880209.2015.1137604