The present study reports the antioxidant and anti-proliferative activities of Polygonum minus leaf extracts obtained through sequential extraction using four solvents of varying polarities (i.e. hexane (HX), ethyl acetate (EA), methanol, and water). The antioxidant potential was evaluated by measuring the total phenolic content (TPC), total flavonoid content (TFC), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), 2,2′-azinobis-3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid (ABTS) radical-scavenging, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH) radical-scavenging, superoxide anion and nitric oxide scavenging, ferrous ion-chelating (FIC), and cellular antioxidant activity (CAA) assays. The highest antioxidant potential was generally shown by the methanol extract (PM-MeOH). PM-MeOH exhibited the highest values for TPC (174.00 ± 0.18 mg GAE/g), TFC (53.19 ± 0.71 mg GAE/g), FRAP (1728.33 ± 0.96 µmol Fe²⁺/g), ABTS (226.25 ± 4.25 µmol TE/g), DPPH (1276.81 ± 7.08 µmol TE/g), and nitric oxide scavenging assays (IC₅₀, 675 ± 32.33 µg/mL). In the CAA assay, PM-MeOH dose-dependently inhibited the peroxyl radical-induced oxidation of 2ʹ,7ʹ-dichlorodihydrofluorescein (DCFH₂) to 2ʹ,7ʹ-dichlorofluorescein (DCF) in HCT116 cells, with an EC₅₀ value of 263.92 ± 21.60 µg/mL. Liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry analyses of PM-MeOH suggested the presence of tannins and flavonoids including apigetrin, hyperoside, isoquercetin, astragalin, miquelianin, quercetin, and quercitrin. P. minus hexane (PM-HX) and ethyl acetate (PM-EA) extracts showed selective cytotoxicity towards HCT116 with IC₅₀ values of 40.00 ± 0.83 µg/mL and 43.18 ± 0.67 µg/mL, respectively. Taken together, these results highlight the potential of P. minus as a source of bioactive phytochemicals that may be useful in cancer therapeutics and nutraceutical industry.

Cancer becomes a serious issue on society with increasing of their growth and proliferation, either in well economic developed countries or not. Recent years, oral cancer is one of the most threatening diseases impairing the quality of life of the patient. Scientists have emphasised on application of gene therapy for oral cancer by using nanoparticle as transportation vectors as a new alternative platform in order to overcome the limitations of conventional approaches. In modern medicine, nanotechnologies' application, such as nanoparticles-mediated gene delivery, is one of promising tool for therapeutic devices. The objective of this article is to present a brief review summarizes on the current progress of nanotechnology-based gene delivery treatment system targeted for oral cancer.