Cancer is an immense health issue that has a drastic impact on millions of individuals around the world. It is one of the leading causes of death and profoundly affects people both personally and socially. Even with recent advancements in cancer treatments, the search for more successful and less hazardous therapies remains essential. Substances from natural sources, like medical plants, might provide an encouraging response to the cancer issue, and their capacity to prevent or treat cancer is still being investigated. Therefore, research on natural antioxidants (polyphenols, including ellagitannins) found in plants is relevant globally as it holds the potential to provide alternative solutions to the ongoing challenge of cancer treatment.
For this study, 14 medicinal plants were collected from the Kaunas Botanical Garden of Vytautas Magnus University at various stages of growth. In total, there were 26 sample specimens. Different parts of Juglans regia, Juglans nigra, Quercus robur and Epilobium angustifolium, such as grass, leaves, pericarp, fruit and bark, were obtained. For the spectrometric and chromatographic methods, methanolic extracts were prepared.
Total phenolic and flavonoid contents and free radical-scavenging assay were determined using a UV-VIS spectrometer. To harmonize results, all spectrophotometric analysis results were calculated in rutin equivalents (mg of rutin standard per 1 g of dry raw material: RE mg/g). Total phenolic content was determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu colorimetric method, the content of total flavonoids was determined by the AlCl3 colorimetric method, and radical scavenging activity of all medical plant extracts was assessed using DPPH radical scavenging method [1].
The separation and identification of phenolic compounds were carried out using a modular HPLC system consisting of a mobile phase binary pump, autoinjector, chromatographic column, UV detector and data processing system. Mobile phases were as follows: A—bidistilled water, acidified with trifluoroacetic acetic acid (0.05% vol.) and B—methanol. Following mobile phase gradient was applied: from 0 min. to 4 min., component B concentration is changed from 5% to 30%, on 20 min. B is set to 43%; on 30 min. B is set 50%, on 40 min.—B is set to 95% and hold for 5 min. Flow rate: 0.75 mL/min, injection volume 10 µL. Compounds were determined using an external standards method according to the retention times [2].
Future studies will include the extraction and fractionation of anticancer ellagitannins accumulating plants using different strategies. The research will also develop and adapt solid-phase anticancer plant separation equipment and raw materials for quality assessment. Anticancer studies of the extract fractions will also be performed using in vitro cancer cell lines.