In vitro Assessment of Cytotoxic Activity of Bioactive Peptides from Momordica dioica and Solanum trilobatum against Human Colon Cancer Cells

Plant peptides have gained attention in the medicinal field due to their high anti-microbial and anti-cancer properties. Various plant sources are being used to extract proteins and peptides to be used as a cure for a variety of diseases. The latest studies show that plant peptides are effective in the treatment of cancer due to their ability to preferentially bind to the receptors or membranes of cancer cells leading to tumour growth inhibition, cytotoxicity, decreased proliferation, and apoptosis. The peptides get internalized into the cells causing cancer cell agglutination and aggregation. In addition to acting as therapeutic agents, plant peptides are also used for the targeting of drugs specific to cancer cells. In this study, bioactive peptides were isolated from the seeds of Momordica dioica and leaves of Solanum trilobatum. They were screened and identified using HPLC and MALDI-TOF techniques. In this study, apoptosis was analyzed by the Hoechst 33342 staining method which detected the presence of condensed pycnotic nuclei in apoptotic COLO320DM and COLO205 colon cancer cellsat the maximum concentrations of 150 and 175 µg/mL of plant peptides.Further DCFH-DA staining indicated the intracellular ROS production in the treated COLO320DM and COLO205 colon cancer cells. Thus, the isolated bioactive plant peptides can be formulated towards the development of effective anticancer drugs for the treatment of colon cancer in humans.