Evaluation of the effectiveness of hesperidin and its derivatives in inhibiting human cancer MCF-7 cells and leshmania: an in vitro study

Background Natural resources and their pharmaceutical products play an important role in disease management because of their potential for new drug discovery and historical traditional use in healthcare. This study aimed to investigate the effects of hesperidin and its derivatives on MCF-7 human breast cancer cells and leishmaniosis. Methods The colorimetric cell viability MTT assay was used to measure the efficacy of these compounds in inhibiting MCF-7 cell growth and the promastigote forms of Leishmania tropica. Cells treated with different concentrations (3.125, 6.25, 12.5, 25, 50, 100, and 200 μg/ml) of hesperidin and their derivative, derv.1(5-amino-1,3,4-thiadiazole-2-thiol), and derv. 2 (5-(methylthio)-1,3,4-thiadiazol-2-thiol) after 24 h exposure. Results The Results showed that hesperidin was the most effective in inhibiting MCF-7 cells, with a 58.3% inhibition rate at a concentration of 100 μg/ml, whereas the derivative (derv.2) exhibited the highest antileishmanial activity, with a 50.2% inhibition rate at the same concentration. The anticancer and antileishmanial effects were concentration-dependent, with inhibition rates decreasing at lower concentrations. Conclusions These findings indicate the potential role of hesperidin and its derivatives as anti-cancer and antileishmanial agents, suggesting new ways for further research into their medical applications.