Evaluation of antioxidant and anticancer activity of Piper betel L. sequential leaf extracts on Human Lung adenocarcinoma A549 cell lines

Piper betel Linn. belongs to family Piperaceae. It is extensively grown in Srilanka, India, Thailand, Taiwan and other Southeast Asian countries. It has got large number of biomolecules which show diverse pharmacological activity along with carminative, stomachic, antihelminthic, tonic, aphrodisiac, laxative activities. The leaves are used for treating cough, bronchiti, clears throat, and styptic. In the present study antioxidant and anticancer activity of sequential extract of Piper betel (PB) leaves was done. Anti‐oxidant study of four different extracts (petroleum ether, chloroform, methanol and water) of PB leaves were done by DPPH radical scavenging activity, reducing power and total antioxidant capacity. All the three methods showed antioxidant activity in a dose dependent manner. But out of four extracts petroleum ether and chloroform extracts exhibit highest scavenging activity and have potent antioxidant activity compare to methanol and water extract. A higher DPPH radical-scavenging activity is associated with a lower IC50 value. Later the anticancer activities were studied in human lung epithelial A549 cells by MTT assay. A549 cells were treated with different concentration of all four extracts at different time intervals and cell viability was measured. The maximum cell death was observed in petroleum ether and chloroform extracts at 48 hours treatment compare to methanol and water extracts indicated that PB leaves extracts exhibited the dose dependent and time dependent anticancer activity suggested that PB leaves have potent antioxidant and anticancer properties due to the presence of potential phytochemicals.