Abstract

Arachis pintoi Krapov. and W.C. Greg. is widely used as forage and displays high seed productivity. Its seed oil contains high levels of phytosterols, mainly β-sitosterol, which has been associated with several biological properties, including cytotoxic activity against different types of cancer. In this study, we investigated the cytotoxic activity of its seed oil against five cancer cell lines using the MTT assay. The most representative fraction (F41) of the oil displayed higher cytotoxic potential than the crude seed extract, reducing K562 cell viability by 73% (IC50 = 85 μg/mL). Four fatty acids were detected in this fraction: 13-cis-octadecanoic, linoleic, hexanoic, and palmitic acids, whose antiproliferative activity against cancer cell lines has already been described. Therefore, this study might contribute to adding value to the forage peanut.

Key words: Arachis pintoi seed extract, cytotoxic activity, F41 fraction, MTT assay, fatty acids.