ANTICANCER ACTIVITY OF PHLORETIN COMPOUND PURIFIED FROM IRAQI MALUS DOMESTICA L. (APPLE) LEAVES

Area of Science:

• Phytochemistry
• Pharmacology
• Natural Products Chemistry

Background:

• Phloretin (Ph) is a dihydrochalcone with known biological activities.
• Malus domestica (apple) is a common fruit with various phytochemicals.
• Iraqi apple cultivars represent a potential source of bioactive compounds.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify and quantify Phloretin in different parts of the Iraqi apple cultivar 'Ibrahimi'.
• To isolate and characterize Phloretin from apple leaves.
• To evaluate the antioxidant and cytotoxic effects of purified Phloretin.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative and quantitative determination of Phloretin in various apple parts.
• Isolation and purification of Phloretin using preparative High-Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC).
• Structural confirmation via Thin-Layer Chromatography (TLC), HPLC, Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR), Melting Point, CHN elemental analysis, 1H-NMR, and 13C-NMR.
• Assessment of antioxidant activity using the DPPH assay.
• Evaluation of cytotoxic effects using the MTT assay against human cancer cell lines (Hep G2, A549, SW480, AGS) and a non-cancerous cell line (HEK 293).

Main Results:

• Phloretin was detected in leaves, petioles, stems, fruit pulp, and peels of Iraqi apple 'Ibrahimi'.
• Apple leaves were identified as a rich source, yielding 1.404 g of purified Phloretin (Ph2) from 18.146 g of extract (7.7% yield).
• Purified Phloretin (Ph2) exhibited potent antioxidant activity in the DPPH assay and significant cytotoxic effects against all tested cancer cell lines, with minimal impact on non-cancerous cells.

Conclusions:

• Phloretin can be effectively extracted and purified from Iraqi apple leaves.
• The purified Phloretin (Ph2) demonstrates significant potential as an antioxidant and anticancer agent.
• These findings suggest that Phloretin from Iraqi apple leaves could be beneficial for human health.