Antioxidant and Cytotoxic Activities of Melinjo (Gnetum gnemon L.) Seed Fractions on HeLa Cell Line an In Vitro

Introduction: Medicinal plants have been investigated for possible anti-cancer effects. One of them is Gnetum gnemon L (melinjo). This study aims determined in vitro antioxidant activity and the cytotoxic effects of polar, semipolar and non polar melinjo seed fractions againts HeLa cell line. Methods: The melinjo seed were extracted with ethanol as a solvent. Then, the fractionation was done using liquidliquid extraction method with three different polarity solvent. Cytotoxic activity was carried out using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) colorimetric assay in HeLa cell lines at concentrations ranging from 25 to 400 μg/mL. Antioxidant activity was determined by the diphenyl picryl hidrazil (DPPH) radical scavenging method. Results: Phytochemical screening indicated the presence of phyto-constituents like flavonoids, terpenoid and tanin. The DPPH scavenging activity by the melinjo seed aqueous, ethyl acetate and N-hexane fraction was 733,12 ± 18,95 μg/mL; 68,40 ± 1,9 μg/mL and 2035,70 ± 65,59 μg/mL, respectively. The cytotoxic activity of the melinjo seed fractions showed that the ethyl acetate was the most active fraction against HeLa cell line with IC₅₀ value 45,27 μg/mL. Conclusion: In this study, we have observed that the melinjo seed fractions exhibited antioxidant and cytotoxic activity against HeLa cell lines. This is presumably due to the content of phytochemicals and stilbenoids such as resveratrol and gnetin C. Melinjo seeds are more potent as anticancer Compared with other plants that also contain RSV such as grape extract (Vitis vinifera L.) against lung cancer cells (A549). From the three fractions, the ethyl acetate fraction had the highest antioxidant and cytotoxic effect compared to the water and n-hexane fractions. Gnetum gnemon L. can be considered as a potential source of anticancer agents. However, more research is needed to determine the mechanism of action.