Antioxidant Potential and the Effects of the Aqueous Extract of Spondias cytherea Fruit Pulp on B16-F10 Melanoma Cell Cycle

Consumption of diets rich in fruits and vegetables bring substantial health benefits. Spondias cytherea is a plant belonging to the family of Anacardiaceae, the fruits are highly consumed in Cameroon and commonly known as “kassimango”. In this work, the antioxidant and cytotoxic activities of the aqueous extract of Spondias cytherea pulp was investigated. The antioxidant capacity was evaluated by DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl) ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and metal chelating power assays. The Total phenolic and flavonoid contents were determined by Folin-ciocalteu test and aluminum chloride colorimetric test respectively. Selenium, and Zinc contents were evaluated. The effect of S. cytherea fruit aqueous extract on cell cycle of B16-F10 skin cancer cells was investigated using propidium iodide staining. The results revealed that the extract was efficient in reducing Fe3+ into Fe2+ and its ion chelating power increased with the extract concentration. The IC50 value for DPPH radical was found to be 96.28 µg/ mL. Total phenolic and flavonoid contents of Spondias cytherea fruits were 649.45 ± 0.71 mg GAE/100 g and 86.69 ± 0.02 mg CE/100 g of dry matter respectively. As far as the tested minerals are concerned, S. cytherea fruit presented 4.48 mg/100 g of zinc and 0.86 µg/100 g of selenium. It was observed that S. cytherea fruit aqueous extract inhibit the proliferation of B16-F10 cancer cells by inducing the cell cycle arrest at Sub G0 phase (apoptotic phase), G0/G1 (proliferation phase) and G2/M phase (mitosis phase). These results indicated that Spondias cytherea fruit have antioxidant and can be used in the management of cancer pending on further researches.