LC-ESI-MS/GC-MS Based Metabolite Profiling of Chlorophytum comosum (Thunb.) Jaques and evaluation of its antioxidant and antiproliferative effects on lung and breast cancer cell lines

Abstract Background Chlorophytum comosum popularly known as Spider Ivy is an important medicinal plant in traditional Chinese medicine utilized in the treatment of many ailments, however its detailed chemical composition and biological activity is not much explored. The present study aims to identify different chemical constituents present in roots and leaves of Chlorophytum comosum and investigates its antioxidant, antiproliferative and haemolytic effects on breast (MCF-7) and lung cancer cell lines (A549, H1299) as compared to normal lung (L-132) cell lines. Methods Chemical constituents from aqueous roots and leaves extracts were identified using LC-ESI-MS/GC-MS. The identified compounds were annotated based on match of mass spectral database with the literature using NIST 14 and METLIN databases. Antioxidant activity was checked using DPPH, FRAP and TPC assays. The antiproliferative effects of ethanolic roots and leaf extracts of Chlorophytum comosum were measured by MTT assay on breast (MCF-7), lung cancer (A549 & H1299) and normal lung (L-132) cell lines. The toxicity studies of the extracts were carried out using Haemolytic assay. Results GC-MS analysis identified 34 new metabolites in roots and 17 from leaves, while as 17 compounds from roots and 7 from leaves were detected by LC-ESI-MS. Significant antiproliferative effects were observed on MCF-7 & A549 cell lines with IC50 values ranging from 31.94 µg/ml to 77.84 µg/ml while no marked response was observed against normal cell line. Haemolysis studies revealed no significant toxicity of the extracts towards the biological system. Conclusion Our study is the first preliminary report on the detailed chemical composition and antiproliferative potential of Chlorophytum comosum, indicating significant specific antiproliferative activities against lung (A549) and breast (MCF-7) cancer cell lines. However, further studies are required to understand the mechanism involved in cytotoxic properties of Chlorophytum comosum.