The Annona cherimola is a South American fruit commonly used as a natural remedy due to its several medicinal properties such as being: anti-parasitic, antioxidant, anti-diabetic, antimicrobial, and anti-carcinogenic. This family of plants is said to contain a classification of polyketides, known as acetogenins, that are thought to play a role in its anti-carcinogenic trait. This overall project aims to examine the toxicity of the A. cherimola on cancer cell lines. A previous study conducted focused on comparing the toxicity of A. cherimola seeds and leaves, revealing the seeds to be much more toxic towards HeLa cells at 0.02% concentrations. This study aims to examine the effect of seed extract fractions, based on increasing polarity, on the viability and cytotoxicity of HeLa cells; as well as, attempt to analyze the extracts to identify compounds responsible for their toxic effects towards cancer cells. In obtaining the seed extract, the seed was first homogenized and lyophilized, then extracted via Soxhlet extraction with ethyl acetate for four hours. The sample was separated into 1-mL samples and evaporated to dryness. One seed sample was then subjected to flash column chromatography with gradient elution mobile phase comprising of hexane, ethyl acetate, and methanol. Seven fractions were obtained and prepared to use for a series of viability (MTT) and cytotoxicity assays on HeLa cells. It is believed that an increase in polarity will show a congruent increase in the toxicity of the fractions. Results show that fractions eluted using ethyl acetate appear to be the most toxic of the seven fractions. Furthermore, qualitative analysis by means of thin layer chromatography reveals the possible presence of acetogenins in crude extracts. Future studies aim to analyze these fractions through GC-MS to determine their chemical compositions, as well as isolating acetogenins and testing their effects on HeLa cells.

Exploration of natural remedies: The fractionation of Annona cherimola seeds and its effects on mammalian cancer cells

2019 Spring National Meeting

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