Abstract

• Payena paralleloneura Kurz. also called Kan-zaw is a large evergreen tree belonging to the family Sapotaceae which is widely used in the treatment of various cancer and different ailments. In the present work the fatty acid analysis of the Kan-zaw seed oil contains approximately >70% α-eleostearic acid and 3.25 % β-eleostearic acid an unusual conjugated fatty acid that imparts a potent anticancer application and industrially important drying qualities to Kan-zaw oil. The present study also investigated cytotoxic potential of various extracts of Kan-zaw seeds using ethanol, methanol, acetone, chloroform and commercial Kan-zaw oil against human cervical cancer cell line (HeLa) by MTT 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide) assay. The various extracts of Kan-zaw seeds (ethanol, methanol, acetone, chloroform) and commercial Kan-zaw oil were effective towards tested cell line, with inhibition and they were found that with the highest 87.14%, 81.56%, 87.48%, 87.99% and 88.32% respectively. The Payena paralleloneura Kurz. (Kan-zaw) extracts and oil have shown significant anticancer activity on HeLa cells.