Abstract
Background The research and application of plants in food supplements and drugs have attracted great interest. This study aimed to examine the efficiency of several solvents for the extraction of the main compounds fromAnnona squamosaleaves and to evaluate the antioxidant, antibacterial, and anticancer activities of these extracts. Methods Gas chromatography-mass spectrometry was used to screen the bioactive compounds ofA. squamosamethanolic extract.The free radical, hydrogen peroxide, and nitric oxide scavenging activities of the extracts were investigated. Furthermore, MTT, nuclear staining, LDH, and monolayer wound repair assays were performed to evaluate the potential anticancer activity of the extracts in colon cancer cells while the antibacterial activity was tested by using a well diffusion assay. Results A. squamosaleaves extracts were found to contain several bioactive compounds, of which the majority were sesquiterpenes (C15H24). These extracts exhibited strong antioxidant activity and antibacterial potency against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria. DifferentA. squamosaleaves extracts displayed remarkable antiproliferative, cytotoxic, antimigration, and apoptotic activities in colon cancer cells. Conclusions A. squamosaleaves contain major bioactive compounds that inhibit the growth of several types of bacteria and colon cancer cell lines, which demonstrated their efficacy as an alternative source of antibiotics and for the development of novel drugs for colon cancer therapy.