1. Introduction
Cancer is one of the major life threatening diseases with a high mortality rate and is now the leading cause of death for people in both developing and developed countries [
1]. In 2020, there were 18.1 million cancer cases worldwide. Men accounted for 9.3 million of the cases, while women accounted for 8.8 million. Death due to cancer has reached 9.6 million in the year 2020 [
2]. According to the most recent information from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC), 36 types of cancer have been documented in 185 countries around the world. Nearly half of cancer patients live in Asia and the region with the largest incidence of cancer deaths. Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most commonly diagnosed cancer after lung and breast cancers, and the fourth leading cause of death [
3,
4,
5], accounting for more than 10% of total cancer incidence and nearly 8% of total cancer deaths [
6]. Breast and lung cancers were the most common cancers throughout the world, accounting for 12.5% and 12.2% of all new cases diagnosed in 2020, respectively. CRC was the third most common cancer in 2020 with 1.9 million new cases in 2020, contributing 10.7% of all new cases [
2]. The prevalence of CRC has been rapidly increasing in recent years, and it is anticipated that by the year 2035, there will 1.36 million cases of CRC in men and 1.08 million cases in women throughout the world [
7]. In Thailand, there were 0.1906 million new cases of cancer in 2020 alone. Men accounted for 0.0934 million of the cases, while women accounted for 0.0972 million, contributing 11.1% CRC for both sexes and ages. However, 11.4% CRC for males and 10.7% CRC for females were diagnosed in 2020. The Global Cancer Observatory estimates that 0.29 million new cases of cancer will be diagnosed by 2040 [
8]. This knowledge makes it vital to research any potential treatments or medications for treating patients rather than using general treatments that were burdensome, complicated, and had adverse side effects.
According to epidemiological data, diet and nutrition plays an important role in the prevention and management of CRC [
9]. Research suggests that dietary factors are attributed to 90% of CRC mortality [
10] and daily intake of >400 g/day of fruits and vegetables is said to reduce the risk of CRC by 40% [
11]. Fruits and vegetables are rich sources of bioactive compounds and dietary fiber and the majority of plant bioactive are reported to bind to dietary fiber. These bioactive are released into the colon as a result of colonic fermentation of the dietary fiber by local probiotics. These plant-derived dietary bioactive compounds can be extremely helpful in the fight against cancer by blocking the action of carcinogens from acting on target tissue, thereby suppressing cancer development. By reducing cell proliferation or enhancing differentiation and apoptosis in tumor-initiating cells, these phytochemicals are also said to play a key role in secondary prevention of cancer [
12]. Studies have investigated the potential anticancer effects of phytochemicals from a large number of fruit and vegetable extracts [
13,
14]. Some of the protective components found in fruits and vegetables include selenium, vitamins, and dietary polyphenols, such as flavonoids, phytoalexins, phenolic acids, indoles, carotenoids, etc. [
12,
15]. The ability of these bioactive substances to exert their anti-cancer properties was discovered through in-depth research [
16]. This has led to the emergence of alternate forms of cancer treatment approach called nutrition therapy, to fight against cancer cells through a healthy diet without the side effects that are frequently experienced by patients receiving from conventional medicine. Hence, identifying these bioactive compounds, analyzing their broad range of pharmacological activity, and determining their precise mechanism of action might assist in the treatment of cancer [
17].
Several parts of guava plants such as leaves, fruits, seeds, peels, pulp, bark, and oil have phytochemical compounds with therapeutic characteristics. Guava leaf extract has been studied for potential chemotherapeutic use. Guava (
P. guajava) has been shown to be antimicrobial [
18,
19,
20], anti-inflammatory [
21] antimalarial [
22], antitumor [
23,
24], antiallergic [
25] activity. Guava leaves, in particular, have the ability to inhibit different human carcinoma cell lines. Guava leaves contain quercetin and morin, two phenolic compounds with powerful antioxidants. Both of them are a plant-derived aglycone form, which has been used as a nutritional supplement and may be beneficial against a variety of diseases. Cardiovascular protection, anticancer, antitumor, anti-ulcer, anti-allergy, anti-viral, anti-inflammatory activity, anti-diabetic, gastroprotective effects, antihypertensive, immunomodulatory, and anti-infective effects are only a few of the benefits [
26]. Previous studies have shown that quercetin and morin have anti-cancer characteristics and may reduce the risk of cancer [
27]; specifically, colorectal cancer [
28]. Arima and Danno [
18] isolated four antibacterial compounds from guava leaves (
Psidium guajava L.), and their structures were determined using chemical and spectroscopic evidence. Two new flavonoid glycosides, morin-3-O-α-L-lyxopyranoside and morin-3-O-α-L-arabopyranoside, as well as two recognized flavonoids, guaijavarin and quercetin, were discovered. Rattanachaikunsopon and Phumkhachorn [
29] isolated four flavonoids including morin-3-O-lyxoside, morin-3-O-arabinoside, quercetin, and quercetin-3-O-arabinoside from fresh and dried
Psidium guajava leaves.
The extraction of bioactive substances is influenced by numerous aspects, including the extraction process, raw materials, and solvent for the extraction process [
30]. The extraction process can be classified as either conventional or non-conventional. Conventional techniques require the use of organic solvents, temperature and agitation. Modern techniques, or non-conventional techniques, are green or clean techniques since they use less energy and the implementation of organic solvents, which are helpful to the environment [
31]. A few of the solvents that have been used to extract bioactive compounds are water [
32], ethanol, hydro-ethanol [
33] methanol [
19], and hydro-methanol [
34]. Nonetheless, there is a scarcity of studies investigating the best solvent for the antioxidant effectiveness of guava leaves. A few studies used green extraction techniques for the extraction of bioactive compounds from guava leaf, including solvent extraction (SE) [
35], microwave-assisted extraction (MAE) [
36], and ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) [
37]. However, there hasn’t been any recent research comparing those green extraction techniques for the bioactive chemicals in guava leaf as well as anti-cancer and antioxidant effects of the extracts. In this study, the phenolic component and flavonoid content of water and hydroethanolic extracts of guava leaves using SE, MAE, and UAE were analyzed and the antioxidant properties also evaluated. The best extraction solvent for use with guava leaves for high antioxidant efficacy was selected and the anticancer activity of the extracts also evaluated.
2. Materials and Methods
2.1. Chemicals and reagents
Folin-Ciocalteu reagent, gallic acid (≥99%), trichloroacetic acid (TCA), Na2CO3 methanol, ethanol, Trolox ((±)-6-Hydroxy-2,5,7,8-tetramethylchromane-2-carboxylic acid), DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picryhydrazyl), TPTZ (2,4,6-Tri(2-pyridyl)-s-triazine), and Iron(II) sulfate heptahydrate (FeSO4) were purchased from Merck (Darmstadt, Germany). Ferric chloride (FeCl3) was supplied by Ajax Finechem (Seven Hills, Australia). Dulbecco’s modified eagle’s media (DMEM), MTT (3-(4, 5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyl tetrazolium bromide), L-glutamine were purchased from Sigma–Aldrich Chemicals (St Louis, MO, United States). Fetal bovine serum (FBS) was purchased from Gibco-BRL (Auckland, New Zealand). Water (LC-MS grade) was provided by RCI Labscan (Bangkok, Thailand). All the chemicals and solvents that were used in this study were of analytical grade (AR).
2.2. Collection of raw materials
Fresh pink guava leaves were collected from Kaset Natee Farm (Mae Chan, Chiang Rai, Thailand). A young age targeted green leaves; 1-3 leaves on top of each branch were collected for this study. Collected fresh leaves were washed with running tap water, followed by air-drying under light exposure until all water droplets present were totally evaporated. The core of the leaf was removed manually, and the leaves were dried at 40 °C for 12 h using a tray dryer (BP-80, KN Thai TwoOp, BKK, Thailand). The dried leaves were ground to a fine powder by cryogenic grinding using liquid nitrogen and a blender [
38]. The ground guava leaves were sieved through a 6.73 mm (3 mesh) sized sieve and stored in the refrigerator (4±1 °C) using a high density polyethylene zipper (Ziploc
®) for further study.
2.3. Preparation of sample extract
2.3.1. Solvent extraction (SE)
Fifty (50) g of guava powder was mixed with 500 ml of distilled water (DW) and 60% ethanol (ET). The suspension was heated for 20 min at 100 °C followed by shaking at 240 rpm for 6 h at room temperature (28±2 °C) using an orbital shaker (KS130, Schwerte, Germany) [
35]. The extract was centrifuged at 8000 rpm for 10 min and filtered using a vacuum pump with Whatman No. 1 solvent resistant filter paper. The obtained aqueous organic extract was concentrated using a rotary evaporator (RV 3 V, Schwerte, Germany) at 50 °C and a rotation speed of 100 rpm until the extract obtained 50 ml and the organic solvent was completely evaporated. The extract was frozen in a dry ice, and lyophilized in a freeze drier (Labconco, FreeZone8L, MO, USA) until the samples were dry. The dried extract was stored at -40 °C for further use.
2.3.2. Microwave-assisted extraction (MAE)
Fifty (50) g of guava powder was mixed with 500 ml of DW and ET. The suspension was subjected to magnetic stirring at 950 rpm for 45 min at room temperature (28±2 °C) followed by microwave heating at 800 W for 140 sec. Initial heating for 40 sec followed by two subsequent heating cycles of 10 sec. each. A 40 sec intermittent cooling time is maintained between any two heating cycles [
36]. The extract was centrifuged at 8000 r.min
-1 for 10 min and filtered by Buckner funnel using Whatman No. 4 solvent resistant filter paper. The obtained aqueous organic extract was concentrated using a rotary (RV 3 V, Schwerte, Germany) at 50 °C and a rotation speed of 100 rpm until the extract obtained 50 ml and the organic solvent was completely evaporated. The extract was frozen in a dry ice, and lyophilized freeze drier (Labconco, FreeZone8L, MO, USA) until the samples were dry. The dried extract was stored at -40 °C for further use.
2.3.3. Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE)
Fifty (50) g of guava powder was mixed with 500 ml of DW and ET. The suspension was subjected to magnetic stirring at 950 rpm for 45 min at room temperature (28±2 °C) and sonicated (ultrasound frequency 40 KHz at 404 W) at 62OC for 20 min [
37]. The extract was centrifuged at 8000 rpm for 10 min and filtered by Buckner funnel using Whatman No. 4 solvent resistant filter paper. The obtained aqueous organic extract was concentrated using a rotary evaporator (RV 3 V, Schwerte, Germany) at 50 °C and a rotation speed of 100 r. min-1 until the extract obtained 50 ml and the organic solvent was completely evaporated. The extract was frozen in a dry ice, and lyophilized in a freeze drier (Labconco, FreeZone8L, MO, USA) until the samples were dry. The dried extract was stored at -40 °C for further use.
2.4. Phytochemical screening
Chemical tests were performed on the aqueous extract and powdered specimens using the standard techniques outlined below.
2.4.1. Test for tannins and phenol
In test tubes, one (1) g of each powdered sample was added individually to 20 ml of DW. The mixture was then heated in a water bath for 10 min and filtered while hot using Whatman filter paper No. 1 into Erlenmeyer flasks. After cooling, 1 ml of the filtrate was diluted to 5 ml with DW and a few drops (2-3) of 10% ferric chloride (FeCl
3) were added into the solution. The presence of tannins and phenols was detected by the formation of a bluish-black or brownish green precipitate [
39].
2.4.2. Test for alkaloids
Two (2) ml of 2N HCl were added to 5 ml of aqueous extract. Each mixture was heated in a water bath for 10 min while being constantly stirred. After that it was cooled and filtered. The resultant filtrate was tested for the presence of alkaloids using Dragendorff’s as stated by [
40]. One (1) ml of the filtrate was mixed with 0.5 ml of Ragendorff’s solution. The presence of alkaloids was revealed by the formation of a reddish-brown precipitate.
2.4.3. Test for saponins
One (1) g of each powdered sample was mixed with 10 ml of DW. The mixture was then boiled in a water bath for 10 min and filtered into an Erlenmeyer flask while still hot. Upon cooling, foam and emulsion were carried out. In a foam test, 2.5 ml of filtrate was added to a test tube, diluted to 10 ml with DW, and violently shaken for 2 min in the foam test. The presence of saponin in the filtrate was verified by the formation of foam. Two (2) drops of olive oil were added to the foaming in the emulsion test, and the mixture was violently agitated for a few minutes. The presence of saponins was suggested by the formation of a rather stable emulsion [
41].
2.4.4. Test for terpenoids
Five (5) ml of aqueous extract was mixed with 2 ml of chloroform. Two (2) ml of concentrated H
2SO
4 were carefully added and gently shaken to form a layer. The presence of terpenoids was verified by radish brown coloration in the inter-phase [
42].
2.4.5. Test for glycosides (Keller–Kiliani test)
One (1) ml glacial acetic acid, 2-3 drops of FeCl
3, and 2-3 drops of concentrated H
2SO
4 were added to 2 ml of aqueous extract. The presence of glycosides was revealed by the presence of green/blue precipitate [
40].
2.4.6. Test for amino acids (ninhydrin test)
In 2 ml of aqueous extract, 5–6 drops of the ninhydrin reagent were added, and the mixture was heated in a boiling water bath for 5 min. The presence of amino acids was shown by purple coloration of the solution [
40].
2.4.7. Test for proteins (Biuret test)
A few (5-6) drops of 5% NaOH and a few (5-7) drops of 1% Cu(SO
4)
2 were added in 2 ml of aqueous extract. The presence of proteins was indicated by the violet color [
40].
2.5. Determination of phenolic compounds
2.5.1. Total phenolic content (TPC)
TPC of the samples was determined using the Folin-Ciocalteu method described by Malik and Ahmad [
43] with slight modifications. Sample extracts were diluted (100 fold) with distilled water and 1.0 ml of the diluted sample was transferred into a tube containing 5.0 ml of 10%v/v Folin-Ciocalteu’s reagent. Four (4) ml of sodium carbonate solution (7.5% w/v) was added to the mixer. The mixture was allowed to stand for 1 h at room temperature (28±2 °C) in a dark room. The absorbance was measured at 765 nm with a UV-visible spectrophotometer (Lambda 35 PerkinElmer, Bangkok, Thailand). The concentration of polyphenols in samples was derived from a standard curve of gallic acid ranging from 20-80 μg/mL. The TPC was expressed as mg gallic acid equivalents per gram of dried extract (mg GAE/g).
2.5.2. Total flavonoid content (TPC)
The total flavonoid content (TFC) was determined using the AlCl
3 method [
44]. For sample preparation, 0.1 g of extract was taken in a 100 ml volumetric flask and volume was made up to the mark by distilled water. 2 ml of solution was mixed with 2 ml of aqueous AlCl
3.6H
2O (0.1 mol/l). The suspension was allowed to stand at room temperature (28±2 °C) for 40 min in a dark room. The absorbance was measured at 417 nm with a UV-visible spectrophotometer (Lambda 35 PerkinElmer, Bangkok, Thailand). Total flavonoid contents are expressed as mg quercetin equivalents per gram of dried extract (mg QEs/g).
2.6. Antioxidant activity
2.6.1. DPPH (2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate) radical scavenging activity
The DPPH radical functions as a free radical or oxidizing radical that is decreased by antioxidants, as well as a reaction indicator. The free radical scavenging activity was measured utilizing the stable radical 2,2-diphenyl-1-picryl-hydrazyl-hydrate. The radical scavenging activity of DPPH was determined using Brand-Williams’ technique [
45] with slight modifications. The 100-fold diluted extract (50 µl) was mixed with an aliquot of 2,000 µl of 60 µM DPPH radical in methanol. The mixture was vortex for 20 sec and allowed to stand at 25 °C in the dark room for 60 min for reaction to occur. Absorbance at 517 nm was measured by UV-visible spectrophotometer (Lambda 35 PerkinElmer, Bangkok, Thailand). using methanol as a control. For the standard 20-80 µg/ml of Trolox was prepared. The calibration curve was plotted between Trolox concentration (µg/ml) and % inhibition. The DPPH radical scavenging activity was expressed as Trolox equivalents antioxidant capacity per grams of dried extract (mg TEAC/g).
2.6.2. Determination of ferric reducing antioxidant power activity (FRAP assay)
Reducing activity was conducted by Ferric Reducing Activity Power (FRAP) assay following Benzie’s method [
46] with some modifications. FRAP reagent was prepared by mixing of 300 mM acetate buffer (pH 3.6), 10 mM 2,4,6-Tripyridyl-S-triazine (TPTZ) in 40 mM HCl, and 20 mM FeCl
3 at a ratio of 10:1:1 (v/v/v). Ferrous sulfate (Fe (II)) was prepared as standard (62.5-1000 µM). 400 µl of standard and 100-fold diluted extract was mixed in 2,600 µl of FRAP reagent and incubated in a water bath at 37 °C for 30 min. The absorbance was measured at 595 nm using a UV-visible spectrophotometer (Lambda 35 PerkinElmer, Bangkok, Thailand). and ferric reducing antioxidant power activity was expressed in terms of mmol of Fe (II) equivalent per gram of dried extract (mmol Fe(II)/g).
2.7. Cell culture and treatment
Human colon cancer cell (SW480) was obtained from American Type Culture Collection (ATCC, Manassas, USA). The cells were grown in Dulbecco’s Modified Eagle’s Medium (DMEM) supplemented with 10% fetal bovine serum (FBS), 2mN L-glutamine, 100 IU penicillin/streptomycin. The cancer cells were cultivated on tissue culture plates (100 mm in diameter) and kept in a humidified incubator (5% CO2, 95% air atmosphere and 37°C) with media changes every 2-3 days. After reaching >80% confluence, the cells were trypsinized, collected, and transplanted onto a brand-new tissue culture dish.
2.7.1. Cell viability by MTT assay
The anticancer activity was measured percentage of cell viability using 3-[4, 5-dimethylthiazole-2-yl]-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay. The viability of SW480 cells was assessed by MTT assay as described previously by Mosmann [
47]. The SW480 colon cancer cell line was seeded at 4 ×104 cells/well in 96 well plates and incubated at 5% CO
2, 95% air atmosphere and 37°C. The cells were treated with different concentrations of extracts (12.5, 25, 50, 100, and 200 µg/ml) for 24 h. Then 20µl of MTT (5 mg/ml) was added to each well. After 2 h incubation, the supernatant was discarded. The cells were washed with PBS twice and incubated with 0.5 mg/ml resazurin for 4 h. After 4 h, the samples were determined cell viability at 570 nm by micro-plate reader (Multiskan FC, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Waltham, MA). Percentage of cell growth inhibition was calculated using the following formula:
2.8. High-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS) analysis and identification of compounds
Using an HPLC Agilent 1260 series (Agilent Technologies, Santa Clara, CA, USA) equipped with a binary pump, an online degasser, an autosampler, a thermostatically controlled column compartment, and a UV-Vis Diode Array Detector, chromatographic studies were carried out (DAD). The column was maintained at 25 °C. Phenolic compounds guava leaf extract were separated at 28±2OC using a modified method of López-Cobo et al. [
48]. A Poroshell 120 EC-C18 (4.6 mm × 100 mm, particle size 2.7 µm) (Agilent Technologies) was used to separate compounds. The gradient elution was performed using water containing 1% acetic acid as solvent system A and acetonitrile as solvent system B, and the following procedures were followed: 0 min, 0.8% B; 2.5 min, 0.8% B; 5.5 min, 6.8% B; 11 min, 14.4% B; 17 min, 24% B; 22 min, 40% B; 26 min, 100% B, 30 min, 100% B; 32 min, 0.8% B; 34 min, 0.8% B. The sample volume was 5µl and the flow rate was 0.8 ml/min. MS analysis was carried out using a 6540 Agilent Ultrahigh-Definition Accurate-Mass Q-TOF-MS coupled to the HPLC, equipped with an Agilent Dual Jet Stream electrospray ionization (Dual AJS ESI) interface in negative ionization mode at the following conditions: drying gas flow (N
2), 12.0 L/min; nebulizer pressure, 50 psi; gas drying temperature, 370 °C; capillary voltage, 3500 V; fragmentor voltage, 3500 V; and scan range,
m/z 50-1500. The following collision energy values were used in automatic MS/MS experiments:
m/z 100, 30 eV;
m/z 500, 35 eV;
m/z 1000, 40 eV; and
m/z 1500, 45 eV. MassHunter Workstation software (Agilent Technologies, Santa Clara, CA, USA) was used for integration and data elaboration [
49].
2.9. Thin layer chromatography
The extracts were analyzed by thin layer chromatography (TLC) using different eluents and detection solutions [
50]. TLC analyses were performed using 5 mg of extract diluted in 1 mL of ethyl acetate (PA, Lot 0804680, Vetec). Samples were applied to silica gels for separation (5 × 20 cm, Silica gel 60 com UV254, Lot 711331, Macherey-Nagel). Essential oils, flavonoids and antioxidants were separated using 80:20 hexane (PA, Lot K3828037 Merck; Lot 0722.03/08 CRQ): ethyl acetate (Lot K38466423, Merck) as the eluent. Essential oils were detected using an anisaldehide solution. Flavonoids were detected using a solution of NP/PEG or boric acid (PA, Lot 0805119, Vetec) and oxalic acid in ethanol (PA, Lot 0801084, Vetec). Thin layer chromatography (TLC) was used to evaluate the extracts using various eluents and detection solutions. TLC analysis was carried out with 5 mg of extract diluted in 1 mL of ethyl acetate (PA, Lot 0804680, Vetec). Samples were separated on silica gels (5 × 20 cm, Silica gel 60 com UV254, Lot 711331, Macherey-Nagel). Flavonoids were separated using ethyl acetate (Lot K38466423 Merck) as the eluent. Flavonoids were identified using an NP/PEG or boric acid (PA, Lot 0805119, Vetec) and oxalic acid solution in ethanol (PA, Lot 0801084, Vetec). The plates were heated to 100◦C, and spots were detected with a UV 366 nm light. After that, the plates were immediately heated for detection.
Author Contributions
Conceptualization, S.R.; methodology, M.A.R.M., A.T., P.C., S.K., S.R.; formal analysis, M.A.R.M., A.T., P.C.; resources, S.R.; data curation, M.A.R.M., A.T., P.C.; writing—original draft preparation, M.A.R.M., A.T., P.C.; writing—review and editing, M.A.R.M., S.R.; supervision, S.R.; project administration, S.R.; funding acquisition, S.R. All authors have read and agreed to the published version of the manuscript.