Evaluation of tumour-inhibiting effect of ethanolic extract of cyperus esculentus on agrobacterium-induced tumour on potato disc

Abstract

The study investigated the antineoplastic effect of ethanolic extract from Cyperus esculentus tuber on Agrobacterium induced tumour in potato discs. The research was based on the Reactive oxygen species scavenging potentials of methanolic, ethanolic, aqueous, n-hexane and ethyl acetate extracts of Cyperus esculentus (0.2-1.0 mg/ml) in vitro using DPPH radical, hydrogen peroxide and ferric ion reducing assay. Phytochemical analysis (Total phenol and flavonoids) revealed the methanolic extract produced highest amount of total phenol (0.245), followed by ethanolic extract (0.208) while aqueous yielded 0.032 and ethyl acetate was 0.041. The flavonoids content with absorbance value between 0.397 and 0.075 with methanolic extract producing the highest yield. Extracts of C. esculentus seeds produced concentration dependent scavenging effect on both DPPH and H2 O2 (0.8 mg/ml) aqueous extract, (1.0 mg/ml) n-hexane and ethanol, while 0.4 mg/ml) methanol and (0.2 mg/ ml) ethyl acetate produced 85.42%, 54.44%, 52.65%, 33.79% and 27.25% scavenging effect on DPPH radical respectively and 1.0 mg/ml aqueous extract produced highest scavenging effect at 82.5%, followed by 0.2 mg/ml ethanolic extract at 46.14% and 0.2 mg/ml methanolic extract produced scavenging effect on H2 O2 at 42.85%. The reducing power of aqueous extract was most significant. Anti-tumour assay showed that the ethanolic extract have tumour-inhibitory effect on Agrobacterium-induced tumour on potato discs in a concentration dependent pattern with maximum tumour inhibition at 0.5 mg/ml ethanolic extract concentration against Agrobacterium tumefaciens Strain LBA 4404. However, the extract did not show any lethal activity against Agrobacterium tumefaciens strains, hence, the assay is acceptable for the evaluation of the antineoplastic activity of various crude extract eliciting ROS scavenging and reduction potentials.