Chemical composition, cytotoxicity and molecular profiling of Cordia africana Lam. on human breast cancer cell line

Metabolic profiling of the hexane extract and essential oil of Cordia africana Lam., an economically important agroforestry species, was performed using GC-FID and GC-MS. Cytotoxicity was assessed in MCF-7 cancer cells using sulphorhodamine-B assay. Caspase-8, BcL-2 and Ki-67 levels were evaluated using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Forty-one compounds were identified in the hexane extract, meanwhile, eighty compounds were annotated in the essential oil. n-Decane (9.52%), beta-sitosterol (8.13%), undecane (6.32%) and palmitaldehyde (5.50 %) were the major compounds identified in the hexane extract, whereas, beta-caryophyllene (32.0%), germacrene D (10.12%) and delta-cadinene (7.20%) predominated in the essential oil. The half maximal inhibitory concentrations (IC50) of the extract and oil were 4.55 mu g/mL and 12.90 mu g/mL, respectively. Caspase-8 activity increased significantly in hexane extract treated cells. Furthermore, BcL-2 and Ki-67 protein expression levels were significantly decreased. Cordia africana Lam exhibit potent cytotoxicity against breast cancer cell line, most likely through apoptosis regulation.