Nael Abutaha; Mohamed A Wadaan & Fahd A. AL-Mekhlafi

Liver cancer is a major health challenge worldwide due to its high mortality rates. This study investigates the therapeutic potential of Hyphaene thebaica (Doum Palm) fruit extracts. Ultrasonic-assisted extraction using ethanol: HCl (1 % v/v) yielded the highest phenolic content (52.3 ± 2.1 mg GAE/g DW), while Soxhlet extraction with dichloromethane resulted in the highest lipid content (12.8 ± 0.5 %). The antioxidant potential of the acetone extract was notable, achieving an EC50 of 129 μg/ mL. Cytotoxicity analysis against HuH-7 liver carcinoma cells revealed a significant dose-dependent effect, with dichloromethane extract demonstrating the highest cytotoxicity (IC50: 155 μg/mL). Morphological studies confirmed apoptosis via DAPI and AO/ EtBr staining. Bioinformatics analysis identified 423 common targets between 453 compound-related and 1,249 liver-related genes. Key hub genes, including AKT1, TP53, EGFR, SRC, and IL6, were identified through protein-protein interaction networks and GO/KEGG enrichment. Molecular docking studies showed a1-Sitosterol and 9, 19-Cyclolanost-24-en-3-ol had strong binding affinities with docking scores of -10.3 and -9.6 kcal/mol, respectively. These findings highlight the potential of H. thebaica fruit extracts as a source of bioactive compounds with antioxidant and anticancer properties, paving the way for further pharmaceutical research and development.

KEY WORDS: Antioxidant; Cytotoxicity; Hyphaene thebaica; Liver cancer; Molecular docking; Network pharmacology.

ABUTAHA, N.; WADAAN, M. A. & AL-MEKHLAFI, F. A. Fruits of Hyphaene thebaica l. for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma: a network pharmacology and molecular docking study. Int. J. Morphol., 43(6):1897-1908, 2025.