Phytochemical Profiling of Phenolic Compounds in Ginkgo biloba Extracts and Their Potential Modulatory Effects on CA 15-3 and CA 125 Tumor Markers: An Organic and Bio-Analytical Study

Abstract

This study aimed to characterize the phenolic composition of Ginkgo biloba extract using HPLC-UV analysis and to evaluate its effect on selected tumor biomarkers, namely CA 15-3 and CA 125. The chromatographic analysis revealed the presence of five phenolic compounds with varying concentrations. Ellagic acid was identified as the predominant compound, with a retention time of 1.320 min, an area of 1.452 mAU·min, and a concentration of 147.8549 µg/mL, representing 75.85% of the total relative area. Trans-ferulic acid was the second most abundant compound, with a concentration of 9.1129 µg/mL and a relative area of 4.67%. In contrast, naringin acid, Hesperidin, and salicylic acid were detected at much lower concentrations, ranging from 0.6074 to 1.8555 µg/mL. The total identified compounds accounted for 82.61% of the relative chromatographic area, indicating a phenolic profile dominated by ellagic acid. In addition, the biological evaluation demonstrated a significant reduction in serum tumor markers following treatment with Ginkgo biloba phenolic extract. The level of CA 15-3 decreased from 28.45 ± 1.12 U/mL in the control group to 19.30 ± 0.85 U/mL in the treated group, corresponding to a reduction of 32.16% (p < 0.05). Similarly, CA 125 levels declined from 31.20 ± 1.45 U/mL to 22.15 ± 0.92 U/mL, reflecting a decrease of 29.00% (p < 0.05). These findings indicate that Ginkgo biloba extract is rich in bioactive phenolic compounds and exhibits a significant modulatory effect on tumor biomarkers.