Abstract
One of the most widespread diseases globally is Cancer. It is responsible for
approximately 70% of fatalities in the medical field. 19.3 million new cases of cancer
have been reported worldwide, with almost 10 million deaths attributed to this disease.
Among women of reproductive age, cervical cancer is the second most common fatal
disease. One of the most diagnosed types of cancer worldwide is skin cancer,
inclusive of both melanoma and non-melanoma types. It has been noted over the
years that effective cancer treatment in general is limited by various factors including
treatment resistance and affordability. Due to some scientifically proven medicinal
plants’ rich anticarcinogenic and chemoprotective potentials, research has since been
inclined to further study these remarkable properties in detail. Pentacyclic triterpenoids
such as Oleanan-12-ene-2,3-diol have shown through research to possibly exhibit
significant cytotoxic effects against melanoma and cervical cancer cells by inducing
apoptosis, causing cell cycle arrest. This study aims to explore the anticancer potential
of Oleanan-12-ene-2,3-diol against Me-180 and A375 cancer cells. It can be
hypothesised that Oleanan-12-ene-2,3-diol will exhibit antiproliferative effects on
these cancer cell lines. Oleanan-12-ene-2,3-diol was extracted from Staudtia
kamerunensis warb stem bark and purified using silica gel column chromatography.
Structural analysis was performed via NMR and mass spectrometry. Human
melanoma (A375) and cervical cancer (Me-180) cell lines were cultured in DMEM and
subjected to cytotoxicity assays using Alamar Blue and xCELLigence systems.
Apoptosis induction was assessed with the caspase-Glo 3/7 assay, and cell
morphology changes were examined through brightfield microscopy. Wound healing
assays measured cell migration. RNA extraction and subsequent PCR and gel
electrophoresis analysed gene expression changes in apoptotic markers. The results
demonstrated significant cytotoxic effects of Oleanan-12-ene-2,3-diol on cancer cells,
highlighting its potential as an anti-cancer agent. Cytotoxicity assessments against
A375 and Me-180 cancer cell lines revealed potent antiproliferative activity of
Oleanan-12-ene-2,3-diol, with significant inhibition observed at concentrations
between 100μg/ml and 50μg/ml, resulting in over 90% cell death, generating reactive
oxygen species, inhibiting metastasis, and modulating autophagy. These findings
highlight the compound's promise as a therapeutic agent, warranting further research
for broader findings and application.