NEW PURIFICATION APPROACH AND THE ANTICANCER ACTIVITY OF PHENOLIC COMPOUNDS FROM MANGIFERA INDICA LEAVES CULTIVATED IN IRAQ

Abstract

Cancer continues to be a primary cause of death globally, prompting the investigation of effective natural therapeutic agents. Mangifera indica L. (mango) leaves are notable for their abundant bioactive compounds, especially polyphenols. This study investigated the extraction, purification, and anticancer properties of polyphenolic compounds from M. indica L. leaves cultivated in Iraq. The research employed systematic extraction procedures using methanol followed by purification through Sephadex LH60 column chromatography. Phytochemical analysis and High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC) characterization revealed significant concentrations of bioactive compounds, with mangiferin (49.8 mg/L) being the predominant polyphenolic constituent, alongside other compounds including apigenin (40.5 mg/L), ferulic acid (36.5 mg/L), and kaempferol (28.9 mg/L). The cytotoxic potential of methanolic extract of M. indica diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The results demonstrated that the cytotoxic effect is dependent on dose, with maximum cell death (68.33%) observed at 1000 µg/mL concentration. The extract exhibited a moderate cytotoxic effect with a half-inhibitory concentration (IC₅₀) value of 132.4 µg/mL. The observed anticancer activity is attributed to the synergistic effects of various polyphenolic compounds, particularly mangiferin, which triggers apoptosis through both intrinsic and extrinsic pathways. These findings suggest that M. indica leaf extract could be a promising source of natural anticancer agents.