Antioxidant activity and cytotoxic effects of Benincasa hispida juice on HepG2 cells.
- 1Key Laboratory of Biotechnology for Medicinal Plants of Jiangsu Province, School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, 221116, China.
- 2Key Laboratory of Biotechnology for Medicinal Plants of Jiangsu Province, School of Life Sciences, Jiangsu Normal University, Xuzhou, 221116, China. [email protected].
Abstract
Benincasa hispida Cogniaux is widely utilized as a dietary staple and a medicinal remedy in China owing to its diverse biological properties. However, its potential antioxidant and anticancer properties has rarely been systematically reported. Therefore, this study aimed to investigated the in vitro antioxidant and anticancer effects of Benincasa hispida juice (BHJ). The total phenolic and flavonoid contents of BHJ were determined to be 37.14 ± 4.26 mg GAE/L and 12.43 ± 2.36 mg RUT/L juice, respectively. BHJ at the original concentration (1×) exhibited potent scavenging activity against DPPH radical, superoxide anions(O₂⁻), hydroxyl radicals(·OH) and nitrite, with respective scavenging rates of 43.15 ± 2.18%, 24.35 ± 2.37%, 19.57 ± 1.49% and 38.64 ± 3.42%. Treatment of HepG2 cells with BHJ at concentration of 10, 20, and 40 mL/L significantly induced cellular apoptosis, which was accompanied by upregulation of activated caspase 9, PARP, Bax, Bad, and Apaf-1, as well as downregulation of Bcl-2 and pro-caspase 3. Furthermore, caspase-specific inhibitors (Ac-DEVD-CHO and Z-LEHD-FMK) effectively abrogated BHJ- induced reduction in HepG2 cells viability. Additionally, BHJ at 5 and 10 mL/L significantly suppressed the migration and invasion of HepG2 cells. This anti-metastatic effect was associated with the downregulation of matrix metalloproteinase(MMP)-2 and MMP-9, along with the upregulation of TIMP-1. Collectively, these findings demonstrate the potent antioxidant and anticancer capacities of BHJ, suggesting that Benincasa hispida may serve as a promising source of therapeutic agents for combating oxidative stress and hepatocellular carcinoma.
Related
- Polyphenolic HRMS Characterization, Contents, Antioxidant Activity and Cytotoxic Effects of Costa Rican Ocimum tenuiflorum L. Extracts
- Integrative in vitro, in vivo, and in silico investigation with mineral profiling of Combretum indicum: A multi-target therapeutic candidate exhibiting antioxidant, thrombolytic, anti-inflammatory, anti-arthritic, analgesic, cytotoxic, and anthelmintic activities
- Antioxidant, cytotoxic and alpha-glucosidase inhibition activities from the Mexican berry “Anacahuita” (Cordia boissieri)
- Endophytic Berkeleyomyces rouxiae producing podophyllotoxin and deoxypodophyllotoxin with antibacterial, antioxidant, and cytotoxic activities
- Integrated in vitro and in silico assessment of antimicrobial, chemical antioxidant, and cytotoxic activities of endophytic Aspergillus sp. GK1 isolated from Mentha spicata roots
BibTeX
@article{wang2026antioxidant,
title = {{Antioxidant activity and cytotoxic effects of Benincasa hispida juice on HepG2 cells.}},
author = {Shi-Bo Wang and Ling-Xue Kong and Ji-Luan Zhang and Jin-Juan Liu},
journal = {BMC complementary medicine and therapies},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1186/s12906-026-05475-3},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42902251},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Antioxidant activity and cytotoxic effects of Benincasa hispida juice on HepG2 cells.
AU - Shi-Bo Wang
AU - Ling-Xue Kong
AU - Ji-Luan Zhang
AU - Jin-Juan Liu
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/25
JO - BMC complementary medicine and therapies
DO - 10.1186/s12906-026-05475-3
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42902251
AB - Benincasa hispida Cogniaux is widely utilized as a dietary staple and a medicinal remedy in China owing to its diverse biological properties. However, its potential antioxidant and anticancer properties has rarely been systematically reported. Therefore, this study aimed to investigated the in vitro antioxidant and anticancer effects of Benincasa hispida juice (BHJ). The total phenolic and flavonoid contents of BHJ were determined to be 37.14 ± 4.26 mg GAE/L and 12.43 ± 2.36 mg RUT/L juice, respectively. BHJ at the original concentration (1×) exhibited potent scavenging activity against DPPH radical, superoxide anions(O₂⁻), hydroxyl radicals(·OH) and nitrite, with respective scavenging rates of 43.15 ± 2.18%, 24.35 ± 2.37%, 19.57 ± 1.49% and 38.64 ± 3.42%. Treatment of HepG2 cells with BHJ at concentration of 10, 20, and 40 mL/L significantly induced cellular apoptosis, which was accompanied by upregulation of activated caspase 9, PARP, Bax, Bad, and Apaf-1, as well as downregulation of Bcl-2 and pro-caspase 3. Furthermore, caspase-specific inhibitors (Ac-DEVD-CHO and Z-LEHD-FMK) effectively abrogated BHJ- induced reduction in HepG2 cells viability. Additionally, BHJ at 5 and 10 mL/L significantly suppressed the migration and invasion of HepG2 cells. This anti-metastatic effect was associated with the downregulation of matrix metalloproteinase(MMP)-2 and MMP-9, along with the upregulation of TIMP-1. Collectively, these findings demonstrate the potent antioxidant and anticancer capacities of BHJ, suggesting that Benincasa hispida may serve as a promising source of therapeutic agents for combating oxidative stress and hepatocellular carcinoma.
SN - 2662-7671
ER -