GC-MS Analysis of Curculigo latifolia Leaves and Roots Ethanolic Extracts and their Potential Antioxidant and Anticancer Activities

Background: Curculigo latifolia is a valuable natural resource in Brunei Darussalam with high phytochemical potential and ethnobotanical importance. Methods: The present study investigates the antioxidant activity of C. latifolia Leaves (CL) and C. latifolia Roots (CR) ethanolic extracts using the Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity (ORAC) chemical assay and on hydrogen peroxide (H2O2)-induced human keratinocyte (Ha- CaT) cells. The anticancer activity was tested against human colon (HT-29/CD63_nluc) and Pancreatic (PANC-1) cancer cell lines. Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) was used to identify chemical compounds. Results and Discussion: The GC-MS analysis identified phytol, γ-Tocopherol, vitamin E, and stigmasterol in the extracts. Antioxidant activity of CL and CR extracts evaluated using the ORAC assay was minimal, with values at 28.80 μmol Trolox Equivalent (TE)/L and 25.84 μmol TE/L, respectively, compared to the positive control, ascorbic acid, which reached 97.1 μmol TE/L. Additionally, in H2O2-induced HaCaT cells, pre-treatment with the extracts did not provide significant cellular protection. Moreover, the CL and CR extracts did not exhibit anticancer activities against HT-29/CD63_nluc and PANC-1 cancer cell lines under the conditions tested. Conclusion: CL and CR extracts exhibited promising antioxidant activity via electron donation, but showed limited cytoprotective and anticancer effects, with CR showing a potential response to anti-austerity conditions.