The Antioxidant and Anticancer Properties of Khastawi Date Seeds Extracts
Abstract
Objective(s): To characterize the major chemical constituents of Khastawi date seed extract and evaluate its antioxidant activity and selective cytotoxicity against FTC-133 human thyroid cancer cells. Design: In vitro experimental study combining GC-MS chemical profiling, DPPH radical-scavenging testing, MTT cell-viability assays, and high-content screening (HCS). Intervention(s): Khastawi date seeds were extracted by Soxhlet extraction using the reported mixed-solvent system. FTC-133 cells and normal human dermal fibroblasts (HdFn) were exposed to the crude extract at 25-400 µg/mL for 24, 48, and 72 h. Main outcome measure(s): GC-MS library-matched constituents, DPPH inhibition and IC₅₀, MTT cell viability and IC₅₀, and multiparametric HCS cellular responses. Results: GC-MS revealed several bioactive constituents, including fatty-acid-related compounds. DPPH scavenging increased with concentration, and the extract showed an IC₅₀ of 294.02 ppm compared with 34.22 ppm for ascorbic acid. FTC-133 cells were more sensitive to the extract than HdFn cells. The FTC-133 IC₅₀ values were 111.5, 90.79, and 83.12 µg/mL at 24, 48, and 72 h, respectively, compared with 265.4, 201.8, and 145.2 µg/mL for HdFn cells. HCS documented changes in multiple cellular-health parameters after extract exposure. Conclusion: Khastawi date seed extract demonstrated moderate antioxidant activity and selective in vitro cytotoxicity toward FTC-133 thyroid cancer cells, supporting further investigation of its bioactive constituents.
Keywords: Khastawi date seed; GC-MS; DPPH; MTT; high-content screening; antioxidant; anticancer activity.
Keywords:
Khastawi date seed, DPPH, MTT, high-content screening, antioxidant, anticancer activityDOI
https://doi.org/10.22270/jddt.v16i10.8023References
1. Maqsood S, Adiamo O, Ahmad M, Mudgil P, Bioactive compounds from date fruit and seed as potential nutraceutical and functional food ingredients, Food Chemistry, 2020; 308:125522. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2019.125522 PMid:31669945
2. Swaidan A, Azakir B, Neugart S, Kattour N, Sokhn ES, Osaili TM, El Darra N, Evaluation of the phenolic composition and biological activities of six aqueous date (Phoenix dactylifera L.) seed extracts originating from different countries: A comparative analysis, Foods, 2023; 13(1):126. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods13010126 PMid:38201154
3. Khalil MNA, Fekry MI, Farag MA, Metabolome based volatiles profiling in 13 date palm fruit varieties from Egypt via SPME GC-MS and chemometrics, Food Chemistry, 2017; 217:171-181. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2016.08.089 PMid:27664623
4. Habib HM, El-Fakharany EM, Souka UD, Elsebaee FM, El-Ziney MG, Ibrahim WH, Polyphenol-rich date palm fruit seed (Phoenix dactylifera L.) extract inhibits labile iron, enzyme, and cancer cell activities, and DNA and protein damage, Nutrients, 2022; 14(17):3536. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14173536 PMid:36079792
5. Hilary S, Kizhakkayil J, Souka U, Al-Meqbaali F, Ibrahim W, Platat C, In-vitro investigation of polyphenol-rich date (Phoenix dactylifera L.) seed extract bioactivity, Frontiers in Nutrition, 2021; 8:667514. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnut.2021.667514 PMid:34497817 PMCid:PMC8419249
6. Ghafoor K, Sarker MZI, Al-Juhaimi FY, Babiker EE, Alkaltham MS, Almubarak AK, Extraction and evaluation of bioactive compounds from date (Phoenix dactylifera) seed using supercritical and subcritical CO2 techniques, Foods, 2022; 11(12):1806. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods11121806 PMid:35742004 PMCid:PMC9222616
7. Zarie AA, Hassan AB, Alshammari GM, Yahya MA, Osman MA, Date industry by-product: Date seeds (Phoenix dactylifera L.) as potential natural sources of bioactive and antioxidant compounds, Applied Sciences, 2023; 13(21):11922. https://doi.org/10.3390/app132111922
8. Brand-Williams W, Cuvelier ME, Berset C, Use of a free radical method to evaluate antioxidant activity, LWT - Food Science and Technology, 1995; 28(1):25-30. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0023-6438(95)80008-5 PMCid:PMC13539476
9. Mosmann T, Rapid colorimetric assay for cellular growth and survival: Application to proliferation and cytotoxicity assays, Journal of Immunological Methods, 1983; 65(1-2):55-63. https://doi.org/10.1016/0022-1759(83)90303-4 PMid:6606682
10. Abraham VC, Towne DL, Waring JF, Warrior U, Burns DJ, Application of a high-content multiparameter cytotoxicity assay to prioritize compounds based on toxicity potential in humans, Journal of Biomolecular Screening, 2008; 13(6):527-537. https://doi.org/10.1177/1087057108318428 PMid:18566484
11. Besbes S, Blecker C, Deroanne C, Drira NE, Attia H, Date seeds: Chemical composition and characteristic profiles of the lipid fraction, Food Chemistry, 2004; 84(4):577-584. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0308-8146(03)00281-4
12. Biglar M, Khanavi M, Hajimahmoodi M, Hassani S, Moghaddam G, Sadeghi N, Oveisi MR, Tocopherol content and fatty acid profile of different Iranian date seed oils, Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, 2012; 11(3):873-878.
13. Harkat H, Bousba R, Benincasa C, Atrouz K, Gültekin-Özgüven M, Altuntaş Ü, Demircan E, Zahran HA, Özçelik B, Assessment of biochemical composition and antioxidant properties of Algerian date palm (Phoenix dactylifera L.) seed oil, Plants, 2022; 11(3):381. https://doi.org/10.3390/plants11030381 PMid:35161362 PMCid:PMC8838170
14. Shams Ardekani MR, Khanavi M, Hajimahmoodi M, Jahangiri M, Hadjiakhoondi A, Comparison of antioxidant activity and total phenol contents of some date seed varieties from Iran, Iranian Journal of Pharmaceutical Research, 2010; 9(2):141-146. https://doi.org/10.22037/ijpr.2010.849
Published
Abstract Display: 0 
PDF Downloads: 0 PDF Downloads: 0 How to Cite
Issue
Section
Copyright (c) 2026 Lana Abed Mansur Alnajar , Alaa Hashim AlMoula , Andy Neal Saeed Shamaya
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0). that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access).
How to Cite
.