Anticancer effects of Ekebergia capensis Sparrm: cytotoxicity on human breast cancer cells and genotoxicity on Allium cepa L. roots.

Authors

Aminatou Soudi, Nicole Marie Guedje, Risko Awadleydey, Boris Hugor Pehuie Fomat, Harding Saah Namekong, Derek Tantoh Ndinteh, Dieudonné Njamen, Stéphane Zingué

Published in

Journal of ethnopharmacology. Pages 122480. Oct 05, 2026. Epub Oct 05, 2026.

Abstract

Cancer is a global threat that affects people regardless of sex, race, or age. In the ongoing search for novel therapeutic strategies, Cameroon's rich biodiversity offers valuable sources of bioactive compounds as alternative options to conventional treatments. Ethnomedicinal knowledge regarding cancer treatment has been passed down from generation to generation and scientific validation of these claims is of utmost importance.
The aim of this study was to appraise the potential of medicinal plants used against cancer in the Adamawa Region, Cameroon and to provide a scientific basis for the most frequently cited.
An ethnopharmacological survey was carried out in the "Vina" and "Mbéré" Division, Adamawa region (Cameroon). The most cited plant (Ekebergia capensis Sparrm) was collected, extracted and characterised phytochemically. Acute oral toxicity of the aqueous extract was determined, antioxidant capacity was assessed by DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP assays while cytotoxicity against triple-negative (MDA-MB-231) and estrogen-responsive (MCF-7) human breast cancer cell lines was evaluated using the well characterized Mitochondrial Tetrazolium Test (MTT) assay. In addition, the survival (clonogenic assay) and evasion (wound healing and chemotaxis assays) of the treated cell lines were assessed. In vivo, Allium cepa L. test was used to assessed the genotoxicity of the extract. Allium cepa L. root meristems were exposed either to distilled water (negative control), doxorubicin (5 μg/mL), colchicine (5 μg/mL), or 5-fluorouracil (6.5 μg/mL) serving as positive controls, or E. capensis Sparrm aqueous extract at doses of 125, 250, 500, and 1000 μg/mL and the safety profile of the extract was further evaluated through a mammalian acute toxicity study (rat model).
The study identified nineteen (19) medicinal plants distributed across fourteen (14) families and nineteen (19) genera used by the population in the Adamawa region of Cameroon for treating cancer. The most cited plant species was E. capensis Sparrm (34.78%), from the Meliaceae family, while the family with greatest number of species mentioned was Fabaceae (5 species). The E. capensis Sparrm aqueous extract contains polyphenols (804.17 mg gallic acid equivalent (GAE)/g dry weight (DW)), flavonoids (66.39 mg quercetin equivalent (QE) /g DW), tannins (58.47 mg tannic acid equivalent (TAE)/g DW) and flavonols (29.13 mg QE/g DW). It is non-toxic with LD₅₀ greater than 5000 mg/kg. It exhibited potent antioxidant capacity (IC₅₀ of 0.54 μg/mL and 17.68 μg/mL with ABTS⁺ and DPPH, respectively and a FRAP of 12797.5). The extract showed moderate cytotoxic effects against MDA-MB-231 (CC₅₀ = 165.19 μg/mL) and MCF-7 (CC₅₀ = 277.97 μg/mL) human breast cancer cell lines. In vivo, a significant decrease (p < 0.001) was observed in the number of apices and the prophase index, along with significant inhibition of root growth (p < 0.001), a marked reduction in the mitotic index (p < 0.001), and an increase in mitotic inhibition rates ranging from 48% at 125 μg/mL to 71% at 1000 μg/mL. A significant decrease in the number of cells in metaphase (at least p < 0.01) and anaphase (p < 0.001) was recorded, along with pronounced disturbances in these phases (p < 0.001) such as chromosomal breaks, bridges, and lagging chromosomes.
Ekebergia capensis Sparrm was the plant species mostly used in cancer management in the Adamawa region of Cameroon. It is safe and contains secondary metabolites that slow the growth of both plant and human cancer cell lines by mitotic inhibition. These findings encourage further studies, to better understand the underlying mechanisms of action.

PMID:
42833363
Bibliographic data and abstract were imported from PubMed on 06 Oct 2026.

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