Antioxidant and anti-cancer effect of Egyptian and European pumpkin seed oil

Abstract

The aim of the present research was to study the anti-cancer and in-vitro antioxidant activity of Egyptian and European pumpkin seed oil (PSO). The anti-cancer effect of the oils was examined in different human cancer cell lines represented by HepG-2 (liver cancer cells), MCF-7 (breast cancer cells) and Caco-2 (colon cancer cells). Results clarified that Egyptian PSO has significant higher antioxidant activity than the European (105.1 �8.3 and85.5�7.6, p < 0.05; respectively). The two oils could inhibit colon cancer cell line with an IC50value of 0.483mg. Egyptian oil showed higher anti-cancer activity than the European towards liver cancer cell while the Egyptian oil had lower activity towards breast cancer cell compared with the European oil.