SALAK — Cervical cancer is one of the deadly diseases. In 2020, cases of cervical cancer in Indonesia reached 36,633 people. This figure has successfully placed cervical cancer as the cancer with the second highest number of sufferers after breast cancer, and ranked third in the order of cancer with the highest mortality rate.
However, until now, cancer treatment can only be done with chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and surgery. The chemotherapy drugs commonly used in cancer treatment have side effects that can reduce the quality of life of sufferers. Therefore, the development of alternative cervical cancer treatments with minimal side effects is needed.
Seeing the urgency of this problem, a number of Gadjah Mada University students who are members of the Cisahea team explored the potential of herbal anti-cervical cancer drugs using a combination of salak pondoh seed extract (Salacca zalacca (Gaertn.) Voss) and pomelo peel (Citrus maxima (Burm.) Merr.).
Aditya Latiful Azis as the Head of the Research Team explained that Salak Pondoh seeds contain polyphenol, alkaloid, and terpenoid compounds, which have the potential to have antioxidant activity. Meanwhile, flavonoid and lycopene compounds were found in the pomelo peel, which have the potential to have cytotoxic properties on cancer cells.
“The use of herbal medicine as an alternative therapy is believed to have relatively smaller side effects compared to modern medicine,” said Aditya in a statement to reporters, Thursday (12/9/2024).
He added that the combination of salak pondoh seeds and pomelo peel has the potential to be an alternative treatment for cervical cancer with minimal side effects. The salak seeds and pomelo peel contain secondary metabolites that have the potential in anti-cervical cancer treatment. In addition, the production and consumption of salak and pomelo show an increasing trend every year in Indonesia.
“Waste from this fruit has the potential to increase the amount of organic waste. We hope that with this research, we can expand alternative treatments for cervical cancer using environmentally friendly materials and minimal side effects,” said Adit
Based on the results of the research they have conducted for 4 months, it is proven that the combination of salak pondoh seed extract and pomelo peel has anti-inflammatory activity, inhibits HeLa cell migration, and is able to trigger apoptosis in cervical cancer cells. (*/)
