Cytotoxic activity of the phenolic extract of virgin coconut oil on human hepatocarcinoma cells (HepG2)

Phenolic compounds are secondary metabolites widely distributed in plants. This study aims to extract the phenolics in Virgin Coconut Oil (VCO) and study its cytotoxic effect on human Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HepG2). Using Fast Blue BB, the crude phenolic extract of VCO yielded 25.54 ppm gallic acid equivalence per 0.5 mg/ml sample. The antioxidant capacity of the phenolic extract gave an IC50 > 0.5 mg/ml against DPPH radical. Likewise, the phenolic extract was cytotoxic at IC50 of 1,958.5μg/ml and 1,563.59 μg/ml for 48 and 72 h against HepG2 cells. Compared to that of an anti-cancer drug 5-fluorouracil, which registered an IC50 of 5.41 μg/ml and 2.17 μg/ml for 48 and 72 h and gallic acid standard which gave an IC50 of 137.2 μg/ml and 106.85 μg/ml for 48 and 72 h, the phenolic extract of VCO is an antioxidant and cytotoxic agent on HepG2 cells.