Bioactivity of fractions and constituents of Piper capense fruits towards a broad panel of cancer cells.

Abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance Piper capense is a medicinal spice whose fruits are traditionally used as aqueous decoction to heal several ailments such as trypanosomiasis, helminthic infections, and cancer. Aim of the study. (1) To perform phytochemical investigation of the methanol extract of Piper capense; (2) to evaluate the cytotoxicity of botanicals (PCF, fractions PCFa-e), isolated phytochemicals on a broad panel of animal and human cancer cell lines; (3) to evaluate the induction of apoptosis of the most active samples. Material and methods Resazurin reduction assay (RRA) was used to determine the cytotoxicity of the studied samples. Cell cycle distribution (PI staining), a…