Abstract Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad (C. colocynthis) called colocynth is a wild species that belongs to the family cucurbitaceae. The present research work aimed to study the phytochemical composition, cytotoxic and antioxidant activities of C. colocynthis seed extract. The chemical characterization of C. colocynthis seeds was effectuated using a gas chromatograph coupled to a mass spectrometer (GC-MS). The cytotoxic activity of C. colocynthis seed extract against breast cancer cell lines (MDA-MB-231) and colon cancer cell lines (HT-29) was assessed using the WST-1 bioassay. The antioxidant power was evaluated by the DPPH assay. The phytochemical characterization of C. colocynthis seed extract showed the richness of C. colocynthis seed extract in several families of bioactive compounds. Regarding the cytotoxic activity, the IC50 (the half-maximal inhibitory concentration) of C. colocynthis seed extract in inhibiting MDA-MB-231 and HT-29 were 170.34 and 132.31 µg/mL, respectively. The cancerous cell lines MDA-MB-231 seem to be more sensitive to C. colocynthis seed extract than HT-29 cell lines. C. colocynthis seed extract exhibited a strong antioxidant power with an IC50 value of 1.37 mg/mL. Insight into the results obtained, C. colocynthis seed extract may be used as a promising weapon to fight against cancer and free radicals’ damage.

中文翻译：

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Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad：化学表征、清除和细胞毒活性

摘要 Citrullus colocynthis (L.) Schrad (C. colocynthis) 又称colocynth，是葫芦科植物的一种野生物种。目前的研究工作旨在研究 C. colocynthis 种子提取物的植物化学成分、细胞毒性和抗氧化活性。C. colocynthis 种子的化学表征使用与质谱仪 (GC-MS) 耦合的气相色谱仪进行。使用 WST-1 生物测定法评估 C. colocynthis 种子提取物对乳腺癌细胞系 (MDA-MB-231) 和结肠癌细胞系 (HT-29) 的细胞毒活性。抗氧化能力通过DPPH测定来评估。C. colocynthis 种子提取物的植物化学特征表明 C. colocynthis 种子提取物在几个生物活性化合物家族中的含量丰富。关于细胞毒活性，C. colocynthis 种子提取物抑制 MDA-MB-231 和 HT-29 的 IC50（半数抑制浓度）分别为 170.34 和 132.31 µg/mL。癌细胞系 MDA-MB-231 似乎比 HT-29 细胞系对 C. colocynthis 种子提取物更敏感。C. colocynthis 种子提取物表现出很强的抗氧化能力，IC50 值为 1.37 mg/mL。深入了解所获得的结果，C. colocynthis 种子提取物可用作对抗癌症和自由基损伤的有希望的武器。colocynthis 种子提取物表现出很强的抗氧化能力，IC50 值为 1.37 mg/mL。深入了解所获得的结果，C. colocynthis 种子提取物可用作对抗癌症和自由基损伤的有希望的武器。colocynthis 种子提取物表现出很强的抗氧化能力，IC50 值为 1.37 mg/mL。深入了解所获得的结果，C. colocynthis 种子提取物可用作对抗癌症和自由基损伤的有希望的武器。