Therapeutic potential of alpha-linolenic acid from Sacha Inchi oil in cervical cancer: an in vitro study on HeLa cells

Abstract

This study investigated the potential of alpha-linolenic acid (ALA) from Sacha Inchi oil as a therapeutic agent for cervical cancer through an in vitro study on HeLa cells. Cervical cancer is one of the most common types of cancer in women, which is often caused by human papillomavirus (HPV) infection. Although chemotherapy therapy is one of the main methods in cancer treatment, this approach often causes side effects and drug resistance. ALA, which is one of the main components of Sacha Inchi oil, is known to have antioxidant and anti-cancer activities. In this study, Sacha Inchi oil was analyzed using liquid chromatography-high resolution mass spectrometry (LC-HRMS) for identification of its active components. Cytotoxic assays were performed using the MTT method on HeLa cells, which showed that ALA significantly inhibited cancer cell viability at low concentrations, with low IC₅₀ values compared to the positive control compound cisplatin. These results suggest that ALA has potential as an effective anti-cancer agent against cervical cancer cells. This study concludes that ALA from Sacha Inchi oil can be a strong candidate in the development of safer and more effective cervical cancer therapy.