Ghanaian research uncovers cancer fighting potential in common backyard plant
A common plant found in backyards and farms across Ghana is drawing scientific attention for more than its familiar fruit.
Laboratory research by Metor Lucky, a final-year Biochemistry and Molecular biology student at the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS) on Annona muricata, commonly known as soursop, has found that an extract from its leaves reduced the survival and movement of prostate cancer cells, suggesting that the plant could be worth further investigation as a potential source of anticancer compounds.
The study examined the effect of soursop leaf extract on PC-3 cells, an aggressive prostate cancer cell line widely used in laboratory research. The leaves were dried, processed and extracted using ethyl acetate through a cold maceration method before being tested against the cancer cells.
Phytochemical screening identified terpenoids, tannins, glycosides and saponins in the extract. These naturally occurring plant compounds have been investigated for various biological activities, including antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anticancer effects.
The strongest evidence came from an MTT cell viability test conducted after 48 hours of treatment. The findings showed a clear concentration-dependent reduction in cancer cell survival as the amount of extract increased.
At 10 µg/mL, cell viability was 71.68%, falling to 52.21% at 100 µg/mL. At 250 and 500 µg/mL, viability dropped further to 49.20% and 33.27% respectively. At the highest concentration tested, 1,000 µg/mL only 8.31% of the cells remained viable.
The extract recorded an IC₅₀ of approximately 209.3 µg/mL, indicating the concentration at which the extract reduced the viability of the PC-3 cells by half.
The findings were also compared with Vero-E6 cells, a non-cancerous cell line. At the highest concentration tested, approximately 78.9% of the Vero-E6 cells remained viable, showing a much smaller reduction than observed in the prostate cancer cells.
Changes observed under the microscope supported the viability results. With increasing concentrations of the extract, the prostate cancer cells became smaller and more rounded, showed reduced attachment to the culture surface and displayed visible structural deterioration.
The study also examined cell movement using a wound-healing assay. Treated PC-3 cells moved more slowly into the artificially created gap than untreated cells, indicating that the extract reduced the cells' migratory ability under the laboratory conditions tested.
Taken together, the findings show that soursop leaf extract affected prostate cancer cells in several ways, including reducing cell survival, altering cell morphology, weakening cell attachment and slowing cell movement.
The results add to scientific interest in plants commonly found in tropical communities and highlight soursop leaves as a potential source of naturally occurring compounds for further investigation in prostate cancer research.
For a plant widely cultivated in Ghana for its fruit, the findings suggest that its leaves may have a value that extends beyond their traditional use and could contribute to the continuing search for new plant-derived anticancer compounds.