Anticancer activity and nutritional value of extracts of the seed of Glinus lotoides.

The purpose of this study is to determine the anticancer activity and the nutritional values of the seeds of Glinus lotoides, a plant used as a dietary vegetable and medicinal plant in Asia and Africa. To achieve this goal, the seeds were extracted in soxhlet using solvents, namely n-hexane, dichloromethane, methanol and water. The methanol and n-hexane extracts showed differential growth inhibitory responses in carcinoma cell lines (Calu-3 IC(50)=29.7 and 79.8 µg/mL and Caco-2 IC(50)=69.7 and 74.6 µg/mL, respectively) as compared to normal cell lines (MDCK IC(50)=106.1 and 131.1 µg/mL and IEC-6 IC(50)=134.0 and 128.5 µg/mL, respectively). In addition, these extracts induced significant apoptosis in the cancer cells (p<0.05) at 100 µg/mL. The seeds of G. lotoides were found to contain nutritional compounds of well-established chemopreventive activity, including vitamin E, folic acid, selenium and calcium. The hydrophilic oxygen radical absorption capacity (ORAC) value was found to be 123 µM Trolox Equiv./g, indicating the antioxidant activity of the plant. These data suggest that the seeds of G. lotoides could potentially be used in the diet in chemoprevention of cancer and warrant further confirmatory preclinical and clinical studies. The amount of protein, carbohydrate, fat, ash, moisture, sugar profile and fatty acids further support the nutritional value of the seeds.