Phytonutraceutical Value of Buro Bitoon: A Cancer Chemopreventive and Anti-Inflammatory Agent

Cancer is the second leading cause of mortality worldwide. Over 10 million new patients are diagnosed with cancer annually with over 6 million associated deaths, representing roughly 12 percent of worldwide mortality. The occurrence of new cancer cases is expected to grow by about 70 percent over the next two decades and estimated to reach over 15 million new cases diagnosed annually by the year 2020. This study investigated the anti-angiogenic, cytotoxic activity, anti-inflammatory property, and antioxidative property of Barringtonia asiatica (Buro bitoon). Ethanolic extracts of Barringtonia asiatica fruit and leaves were subjected to phytochemical screening and qualitative chemical analysis revealed the presence of alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, phenols, and tannins. Test for angiogenesis revealed a strong pro-angiogenic property of ethanolic extract at 1000 mg and 500 mg. Median lethal concentrations were found to be 147.91 and 338.84 for the leaves and the seeds, respectively. LC50 of the extracts were higher than the 20 microgram per milliliter limit, this implies that the extract can have minimal toxicity toward human body cells. Leaves and seed extracts of Barringtonia asiatica have demonstrated anti- inflammatory properties comparable to the positive control which suggests that it has potential to act as an alternative anti-inflammatory agent. Evaluation for antioxidant property of the leaf extract exhibits an IC50 value of 379.6 µg/ml while the seed extract exhibits an IC50 value of 363.58 µg/ml. Results demonstrated the bioactive property of the Barringtonia asiatica can be a possible natural chemotherapeutic drug in battling cancer which can serve for future pharmacological use.

Angiogenic, Barringtonia Asiatica, Cytotoxicity

1. Ajuru MG, Williams LF, Ajuru G. Qualitative and quantitative phytochemical screening of some plants used in ethnomedicine in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria. Journal of Food and Nutrition Sciences. 2017;198–205. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

2. Alamgir ANM. Secondary metabolites. In: Phenols, sometimes called phenolics, are a class of chemical compounds consisting of a hydroxyl group (—OH) bonded directly to an aromatic hydrocarbon group. New York City: Springer; 2018. p. 194–202. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

3. Altemimi A, Lakhssassi N, Baharlouei A, Watson D, Lightfoot D. Phytochemicals: Extraction, isolation, and identification of bioactive compounds from plant extracts. Plants. 2017;1–23. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

4. Begum TN, Ilyas MHM, Anand AAV. Antipyretic activity of Azima tetracantha in experimental animals. International Journal of Current Biomedical and Pharmaceutical Research. 2011;41–44. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

5. de Albuquerque U, Medeiros M. The pharmacy of the Benedictine monks: The use of medicinal plants in Northeast Brazil during the nineteenth century (1823–1829). Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 2011. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

6. Elhardallou SB. Cytotoxicity and biological activity of selected Sudanese medicinal plants. Research Journal of Medicinal Plants. 2011;5:201–229. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

7. Franks PJ, Moffatt CJ, Doherty DC. Assessment of health-related quality of life in patients with lymphedema of the lower limb. Wound Repair and Regeneration. 2006;14(2):110–118. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

8. Gabrielli MG, Accili D. The chick chorioallantoic membrane: A model of molecular, structural, and functional adaptation to transepithelial ion transport and barrier function during embryonic development. BioMed Research International. 2010;1–12. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

9. Gaichu DM, Mawia AM, Gitonga GM, Ngugi MP, Mburu DN. Phytochemical screening and antipyretic activities of Ximenia americana in rat. Journal of HerbMed Pharmacology. 2017;6(3):107–113. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

10. Galor S, Benzie IFF. Herbal medicine. In: Herbal Medicine: Biomolecular and Clinical Aspects. 2nd ed. Boca Raton: CRC Press/Taylor & Francis; 2011. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

11. Herrea A, Amor E. Formation of new vessels is a tightly regulated complex process; its success largely depends on the balance between pro- and anti-angiogenic signals. Journal of Medicinal Plants Research. 2011;5(13):2637–2646. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

12. Levy BI. Blood pressure as a potential biomarker of the efficacy of angiogenesis inhibitors. Annals of Oncology. 2009;20(2):200–203. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

13. Miller WJ, et al. A novel technique for quantifying changes in vascular density, endothelial cell proliferation and protein expression in response to modulators of angiogenesis using the chick chorioallantoic membrane assay. Journal of Translational Medicine. 2004. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

14. Moghadamtousi SZ, Rouhollahi E, Karimian H, Fadaeinasab M, Firoozinia M, Abdulla MA. The chemopotential effect of Annona muricata leaves against azoxymethane-induced colonic aberrant crypt foci in rats and the apoptotic effect of acetogenin annomuricin E in HT-29 cells: A bioassay-guided approach. PLoS ONE. 2015;10:e0122288. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

15. Nussbaumer S, Bonnabry P, Veuthey JL, Fleury-Souverain S. Analysis of anticancer drugs: A review. Talanta. 2011;85:2265–2289. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

16. Phytochemicals.info. Phytochemicals. 2016. Available from: https://www.phytochemicals.info/. Accessed September 16, 2019. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

17. Rady I, et al. Anticancer properties of graviola (Annona muricata): A comprehensive mechanistic review. Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity. 2018. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

18. Rady I, Mohamed H, Rady M, Siddiqui IA, Mukhtar H. Cancer preventive and therapeutic effects of EGCG, the major polyphenol in green tea. Egyptian Journal of Basic and Applied Sciences. 2017. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

19. Ribatti D. The chick embryo chorioallantoic membrane as an in vivo assay to study antiangiogenesis. Pharmaceuticals. 2010;482–513. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

20. Ribatti D, Nico B, Vacca A, Roncali L, Burri PH, Djonov V. Chorioallantoic membrane capillary bed: A useful target for studying angiogenesis and anti-angiogenesis in vivo. Anatomical Record. 2001;317–324. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

21. Risau W. Mechanisms of angiogenesis. Nature. 1997;386:671–674. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

22. Sayhan H, Beyaz SG, Celiktas A. The local anesthetic and pain relief activity of alkaloids. In: IntechOpen. 2017. p. 58–76. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

23. Siegel RL, Miller KD, Jemal A. Cancer statistics. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 2018;7–30. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

24. Sisdharan S, Chen Y, Saravanan D, Sundram KM, Latha LY. Extraction, isolation and characterization of bioactive compounds from plant extracts. African Journal of Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicines. 2010;1–10. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

25. Stuart G. Philippine Medicinal Plants. June 2018. Available from: http://www.stuartxchange.org/Botong.html. Accessed September 16, 2019. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

26. Thangaraji R, et al. Traditional usages of ichthyotoxic plant Barringtonia asiatica (L.) Kurz by the Nicobari tribes. Journal of Marine and Island Cultures. 2015;76–80. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

27. Wang H, et al. Plants against cancer: A review on natural phytochemicals in preventing and treating cancers and their druggability. Anticancer Agents in Medicinal Chemistry. 2012;1281–1305. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

28. Young-soo S. Medicinal Plants in Papua New Guinea. Manila: World Health Organization; 2009. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

29. Gomathi R, Umamaheswari TN, Prethipa R. Evaluation of antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial activities of raspberry fruit extract: An in vitro study. 2024. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

30. Tiwari P, Kumar B, Kaur M, Kaur G, Kaur H. Phytochemical screening and extraction: A review. Internationale Pharmaceutica Sciencia. 2011;1:98–106. [Google Scholar] [Crossref]

• Chayomed: Pharmacotheraputic Potential of Chayote (Sechium Edule) Peel Extract on Diabetes Mellitus and its Cancer Chemoprevention Property
• Environmental Constraints on Setaria Italica Cultivation in Western Rajasthan: A Comprehensive Review
• Hepatitis B Seroprevalence among Petrochemical Workers: Workplace Versus Community Baseline in Nigeria